HK 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE 


EISING  SON; 


OR, 


THE  ANTECEDENTS  AND  ADVANCEMENT 
OF  THE  COLORED  RACE. 


BY 


WM.  WELLS  BROWN,  M.  D. 


AUTHOR  OF  "SKETCHES  OP  PLACES  AND  PEOPLE  ABROAD,  "THE 

BLACK  MAN,"  "THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  REBELLION," 

"  CLOTELLE,"  ETC. 


Tenth  Thousand. 


BOSTON: 
A.    G.    BROWN    &    CO.,    PUBLISHERS 

140  COURT  STREET. 
1874. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873, 

BY  A.  G.  BROWN 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


AFTER  availing  himself  of  all  the  reliable  information 
obtainable,  the  author  is  compelled  to  acknowledge  the 
scantiness  of  materials  for  a  history  of  the  African 
race.  He  has  throughout  endeavored  to  give  a  faith 
ful  account  of  the  people  and  their  customs,  without 
concealing  their  faults. 

Several  of  the  biographical  sketches  are  necessarily 
brief,  owing  to  the  difficulty  in  getting  correct  infor 
mation  in  regard  to  the  subjects  treated  upon.  Some 
have  been  omitted  on  account  of  the  same  cause. 

WM.  WELLS  BROWN. 
Carnbridgeport,  Mass. 


WELCOME  TO  "THE  EISING  SON." 

BY  ELIJAH  W.  SMITH. 

COME  forth,  historian  of  our  race, 

And  with  the  pen  of  Truth 
Bring  to  our  claim  to  Manhood's  rights, 

The  strength  of  written  proof  ; 
Draw  back  the  curtain  of  the  past, 

And  lift  the  ages'  pall, 
That  we  may  view  the  portraits  grand 

That  hang  on  History's  wall ! 

Tell  of  a  race  whose  onward  tide 

Was  often  swelled  with  tears  ; 
In  whose  hearts  bondage  has  not  quenched 

The  fire  of  former  years 
"When  Hannibal's  resistless  hosts 

Wrought  his  imperial  will, 
And  brave  Toussaint  to  freedom  called, 

From  Hayti's  vine-clad  hill. 

Write  when,  in  these,  our  later  days, 

Earth's  noble  ones  are  named, 
We  have  a  roll  of  honor,  too, 

Of  which  we're  not  ashamed  ; 
If,  for  the  errors  of  the  past, 

In  chains  did  we  atone, 
God,  from  our  race's  sepulchre, 

Hath  rolled  away  the  stone. 

And  our  dear  land,  that  long  hath  slept 

Beneath  oppression's  spell, 
Welcomes  the  manly  fortitude 

That  stood  the  test  so  well ; 
Bearing  the  record,  blazoned  o'er 

With  deeds  of  valor  done, 
Up  to  the  Future's  golden  door 

He  comes,  the  "  Rising  Son." 


WELCOME   TO   "THE   RISING   SON."* 


The  battle's  din  hath  passad  away, 

And  o'er  the  furrowed  plain 
Spring,  fresh  and  green,  the  tender  blades 

Of  Freedom's  golden  grain  ; 
But  eagle  eyes  must  watch  the  field, 

Lest  the  fell  foe  should  dare 
To  scatter,  while  the  sowers  sleep, 

Proscription's  noxious  snare. 

Lo  !  shadowy  'mid  the  forest-trees 

Their  demon  forms  are  seen, 
And  lurid  light  of  baleful  eyes 

Flash  through  the  foliage  green  ; 
And  till  completed  is  the  work 

So  gloriously  begun, 
A  sentry  true  on  Freedom's  walls 

Stand  thou,  O  "  Rising  Son  ! " 

Go  forth  !  the  harbinger  of  days 

More  glorious  than  the  past ; 
Hushed  is  the  clash  of  hostile  steel, 

The  bugle's  battle-blast ; 
Go,  herald  of  the  promised  time, 

When  men  of  every  land 
Shall  hasten  joyfully  to  grasp 

The  Ethiope's  outstretched  hand  ! 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

MEMOIR  OF  THE  AUTHOR 9 

CHAPTER  I. 
THE  ETHIOPIANS  AND  EGYPTIANS       ....        36 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  CARTHAGINIANS .49 

CHAPTER  III. 
EASTERN  AFRICA 65 

CHAPTER  IV. 
CAUSES  OF  COLOR 78 

CHAPTER  V. 

CAUSES  OF  THE  DIFFERENCE  IN  FEATURES  ...        84 

CHAPTER  VI. 
CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONIES     ....        90 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  ABTSSINIANS 97 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

WESTERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA     .  .         .         .101 


Vi  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  SLAVE-TRADE 118 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  REPUBLIC  OP  LIBERIA        .         .         .         •         .129 

CHAPTER  XI. 
PROGRESS  IN  CIVILIZATION 135 

CHAPTER  XII. 
HAYTI 140 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
SUCCESS  OF  TOUISSANT 150 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
CAPTURE  OP  TOUISSANT 159 

CHAPTER  XV. 
TOUISSANT  A  PRISONER  IN  FRANCE  .        .        .        .168 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
DESSALINES  AS  EMPEROR  OF  HAYTI  .        .        .        .173 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

WAR  BETWEEN  THE  BLACKS  AND  MULATTOES  OF  HAYTI       185 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CHRISTOPHE  AS  KING,  AND  PETION  AS  PRESIDENT  OP 

HAYTI 201 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
PEACE  IN  HAYTI,  AND  DEATH  OF  PETION    .        .        .      209 

CHAPTER  XX. 
BOYER  THE  SUCCESSOR  OF  PETION  IN  HAYTI         .        .      218 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

PAGB 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
INSURRECTION,  AND  DEATH  OF  CHRISTOPHE        .        .      222 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
UNION  OF  HATTI  AND  SANTO  DOMINGO       .        .        .      229 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
SOULOUQUE  AS  EMPEROR  OF  HATTI     ....      234 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
GEFFRARD  AS  PRESIDENT  OF  HAYTI  .        .        .        .236 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
SALNAVE  AS  PRESIDENT  OF  HAYTI       ....      241 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
JAMAICA 243 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
SOUTH  AMERICA 255 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
CUBA  AND  PORTO  Rico 258 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
SANTO  DOMINGO 262 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

INTRODUCTION  OF  BLACKS  INTO  AMERICAN  COLONIES  .      265 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
SLAVES  IN  THE  NORTHERN  COLONIES  ....      270 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
COLORED  INSURRECTIONS  IN  THE  COLONIES  .        .        .      276 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
BLACK  MEN  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR  .         .  282 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
BLACKS  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812 286 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
THE  CURSE  OF  SLAVERY 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
DISCONTENT  AND  INSURRECTION         ....       296 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
GROWING  OPPOSITION  TO  SLAVERY    ....      319 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
MOB  LAW  TRIUMPHANT 322 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
HEROISM  AT  SEA 325 

CHAPTER  XL. 
THE  IRON  AGE  . 329 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
RELIGIOUS  STRUGGLES 336 

CHAPTER  XLII. 
JOHN  BROWN'S  RAID  ON  HARPER'S  FERRY  .        .        .340 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 
LOYALTY  AND  BRAVERY  OF  THE  BLACKS   *  .        .        .      342 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
THE  PROCLAMATION  OF  FREEDOM  347 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE    .        .        .        .352 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
NEGRO  HATRED  AT  THE  NORTH 382 

CHAPTER   XLVII. 
CASTE  AND  PROGRESS         .        .         .        .        .        .387 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
THE  ABOLITIONISTS 393 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 
THE  NEW  ERA 413 

CHAPTER  L. 

REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN    .        .        .        .418 


MEMOIR   OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

BY  ALONZO  D.  MOORE. 

THIRTY  years  ago,  a  young  colored  man  came  to  my 
father's  house  at  Aurora,  Erie  County,  New  York,  to 
deliver  a  lecture  on  the  subject  of  American  Slavery, 
and  the  following  morning  I  sat  upon  his  knee  while  he 
told  me  the  story  of  his  life  and  escape  from  the  South. 
Although  a  boy  of  eight  years,  I  still  remember  the  main 
features  of  the  narrative,  and  the  impression  it  made 
upon  my  mind,  and  the  talk  the  lecture  of  the  previous 
night  created  in  our  little  quiet  town.  That  man  was 
William  Wells  Brown,  now  so  widely-known,  both  at 
home  and  abroad.  It  is  therefore  with  no  little  hesi 
tancy  that  I  consent  to  pen  this  sketch  of  one  whose 
name  has  for  many  years  been  a  household  word  in  our 
land. 

9 


10  MEMOIR   OF   THE    AUTHOR. 

"William  "VYells  BroWn  was  bom  in  Lexington, 
Ky.,  in  the  year  1816.  His  mother  was  a  slave,  his 
father  a  slaveholder.  The  boy  was  taken  to  the  State 
of  Missouri  in  infancy,  and  spent  his  boyhood  in 
St.  Louis.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  was  hired  out  to 
a  captain  of  a  steamboat  running  between  St.  Louis  and 
New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  a  year  or  two,  and  was 
then  employed  as  office  boy  by  Elijah  P.  Love  joy,  who 
was  at  that  time  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Times.  Here 
William  first  began  the  groundwork  of  his  education. 
After  one  year  spent  in  the  printing  office,  the  object 
of  our  sketch  was  again  let  out  to  a  captain  of  one  of 
the  steamboats  plying  on  the  river.  In  the  year  1834 
William  made  his  escape  from  the  boat,  and  came 
North. 

He  at  once  obtained  a  situation  on  a  steamer 
on  Lake  Erie,  where,  in  the  position  of  steward,  he 
was  of  great  service  to  fugitive  slaves  making  their 
way  to  Canada.  In  a  single  year  he  gave  a  free  pas 
sage  across  the  lake  to  sixty-five  fugitives.  Making 
his  home  in  Buffalo,  Mr.  Brown  organized  a  vigi 
lance  committee  whose  duties  were  to  protect  and 
aid  slaves,  while  passing  through  that  city  on  their 
way  to  the  "Land  of  the  free,"  or  to  the  eastern  States. 
As  chairman  of  that  committee,  Mr.  Brown  was  of 
great  assistance  to  the  fleeing  bondmen.  The  Asso 
ciation  kept  a  fund  on  hand  to  employ  counsel  in  case 
of  capture  of  a  fugitive,  besides  furnishing  all  with 


MEMOIK  OF   THE  AUTHOR.  11 

clothing,  shoes,  and  whatever  was  needed  by  those 
who  were  in  want.  Escaping  from  the  South  without 
education,  the  subject  of  our  sketch  spent  the  winter 
nights  in  an  evening  school  and  availed  himself  of  pri 
vate  instructions  to  gain  what  had  been  denied  him  in 
his  younger  days. 

In  the  autumn  of  1843,  he  accepted  an  agency  to 
lecture  for  the  Anti-slavery  Society,  and  continued 
his  labors  in  connection  with  that  movement  until 
1849;  when  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  visit  England. 
As  soon  as  it  was  understood  that  the  fugitive  slave 
was  going  abroad,  the  American  Peace  Society  elected 
him  as  a  delegate  to  represent  them  at  the  Peace  Con 
gress  at  Paris. 

Without  any  solicitation,  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  American  Anti-slavery  Society  strongly  recom 
mended  Mr.  Brown  to  the  friends  of  freedom  in  Great 
Britain.  The  President  of  the  above  Society  gave 
him  private  letters  to. some  of  the  leading  men  and 
women  in  Europe.  In  addition  to  these,  the  colored 
citizens  of  Boston  held  a  meeting  the  evening  previous 
to  his  departure,  and  gave  Mr.  Brown  a  public  farewell, 
and  passed  resolutions  commending  him  to  the  confi 
dence  and  hospitality  of  all  lovers  of  liberty  in  the 
mother-land. 

Such  was  the  auspices  under  which  this  self-educated 
man  sailed  for  England  on  the  18th  of  July,  1849. 

Mr.  Brown  arrived  in  Liverpool,  and  proceeded  at 


12  MEMOIR  OF   THE    AUTHOR. 

once  to  Dublin,  where  warm  friends  of  the  cause  of 
freedom  greeted  him.  The  laud  of  Burke,  Sheridan, 
and  O'Conuell  would  not  permit  the  American  to 
leave  without  giving  him  a  public  welcome.  A  large 
and  enthusiastic  meeting  held  in  the  Eotunda,  and  pre 
sided  over  by  JAMES  HAUGHTOX,  Esq.,  gave  Mr.  Brown 
the  first  reception  which  he  had  in  the  Old  World. 

After  a  sojourn  of  twenty  days  in  the  Emerald  Isle, 
the  fugitive  started  for  the  Peace  Congress  which  was 
to  assemble  at  Paris.  The  Peace  Congress,  and  espe 
cially  the  French  who  weie  in  attendance  at  the  great 
meeting,  most  of  whom  had  never  seen  a  colored  per 
son,  were  somewhat  taken  by  surprise  on  the  last  day, 
when  Mr.  Brown  made  a  speech.  "His  reception, " 
said  La  Presse,  "was  most  flattering.  He  admirably 
sustained  his  reputation  as  a  public  speaker.  His  ad 
dress  produced  a  profound  sensation.  At  its  conclu 
sion,  the  speaker  was  warmly  greeted  by  Victor  Hugo, 
President  of  the  Congress,  Richard  Cobden,  Esq.,  and 
other  distinguished  men  on  the  platform.  At  the 
soiree  given  by  M.  de  Tocqueville,  the  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs,  the  American  slave  was  received  with 
marked  attention." 

Having  spent  a  fortnight  in  Paris  and  vicinity,  view 
ing  the  sights,  he  returned  to  London.  GEORGE 
THOMPSON,  Esq.,  was  among  the  first  to  meet  the  fu 
gitive  on  his  arrival  at  the  English  metropolis.  A 
few  days  after,  a  very  large  meeting,  held  in  the  spa- 


MEMOIR  OF  THE   AUTHOE.  13 

cious  Music  Hall,  Bedford  Square,  and  presided  over 
by  Sir  Francis  Knowles,  Bart.,  welcomed  Mr.  Brown 
to  England.  Many  of  Britain's  distinguished  public 
speakers  spoke  on  the  occasion.  George  Thompson 
made  one  of  his  most  brilliant  efforts.  This  flat 
tering  reception  gained  for  the  fugitive  pressing  invi 
tations  from  nearly  all  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

He  narrates  in  his  " Three  Years  in  Europe,"  many 
humorous  incidents  that  occurred  in  his  travels,  and 
of  which  is  the  following:  . 

"On  a  cold  winter's  evening,  I  found  myself  seated 
before  the  fire,  and  alone,  in  the  principal  hotel  in 
the  ancient  and  beautiful  town  of  Ludlow,  and  within 
a  few  minutes'  walk  of  the  famous  old  castle  from 
which  the  place  derives  its  name.  A  long  ride  by 
coach  had  so  completely  chilled  me,  that  I  remained 
by  the  fire  to  a  later  hour  than  I  otherwise  would 
have. 

"  'Did  you  ring,  sir?'  asked  the  waiter,  as  the 
clock  struck  twelve. 

"  *Xo,'  I  replied;  'but  you  may  give  me  a  light, 
and  I  will  retire.' 

"I  was  shown  to  my  chamber,  and  was  soon  in  bed. 
From  the  weight  of  the  covering,  I  felt  sure  that  the 
extra  blanket  which  I  had  requested  to  be  put  on  was 
there;  yet  I  was  shivering  with  cold.  As  the  sheets 
began  to  get  warm,  I  discovered,  to  my  astonishment, 
that  they  were  clamp — indeed,  wet.  My  first  thought 


14  MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

was  to  ring  the  bell  for  the  servant,  and  have  them 
changed;  but,  after  a  moment's  consideration,  I 
resolved  to  adopt  a  different  course.  I  got  out  of  bed, 
pulled  the  sheets  off,  rolled  them  up,  raised  the  win 
dow,  and  threw  them  into  the  street.  After  disposing 
of  the  wet  sheets,  I  returned  to  bed,  and  got  in 
between  the  blankets,  and  lay  there  trembling  with 
cold  till  Morpheus  came  to  my  relief. 

"The  next  morning  I  said  nothing  about  the  sheets, 
feeling  sure  that  the  discovery  of  their  loss  would  be 
made  by  the  chambermaid  in  due  time.  Breakfast  over, 
I  visited  the  ruins  of  the  old  castle,  and  then  returned 
to  the  hotel,  to  await  the  coach  for  Hereford.  As  the 
hour  drew  near  for  me  to  leave,  I  called  the  waiter, 
and  ordered  my  bill.  'Yes,  sir,  in  a  moment,'  he  re 
plied,  and  left  in  haste.  Ten  or  fifteen  minutes  passed 
away,  and  the  servant  once  more  came  in,  walked  to 
the  window,  pulled  up  the  blinds,  and  then  went  out. 

"I  .saw  that  something  was  afloat;  and  it  occurred  to 
me  that  they  had  discovered  the  loss  of  the  sheets,  at 
which  I  was  pleased;  for  the  London  newspapers  were, 
at  that  time,  discussing  the  merits  and  the  demerits  of 
the  hotel  accommodations  of  the  kingdom,  and  no  let 
ters  found  a  more  ready  reception  in  their  columns 
than  one  on  that  subject.  I  had,  therefore,  made  up 
my  mind  to  have  the  wet  sheets  put  in  the  bill,  pay  for 
them,  and  send  the  bill  to  the  Times. 

"The  waiter  soon  returned  again,  and,-  in  rather  an 


MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR.  15 

agitated  manner,  said,  'I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but 
the  landlady  is  in  the  hall,  and  would  like  to  speak 
to  you.'  Out  I  went,  and  found  the  finest  specimen 
of  an  English  landlady  that  I  had  seen  for  many  a 
day.  There  she  stood,  nearly  as  thick  as  she  was 
tall,  with  a  red  face  garnished  around  with  curls,  that 
seemed  to  say,  'I  have  just  been  oiled  and  brushed.' 
A  neat  apron  covered  a  black  alpaca  dress  that  swept 
the  floor  with  modesty,  and  a  bunch  of  keys  hung  at  her 
side.  O,  that  smile!  such  a  smile  as  none  but  an 
adept  could  put  on.  However,  I  had  studied  human 
nature  too  successfully  not  to  know  that  thunder  and 
lightning  were  concealed  under  that  smile,  and  I 
nerved  myself  for  the  occasion. 

"  'I  am  sorry  to  have  to  name  it,  sir,'  said  she; 
'but  the  sheets  are  missing  off  your  bed.' 

"  'O,  yes,'  I  replied;  'I  took  them  off  last  night.' 

"  'Indeed!'  exclaimed  she;  'and  what  did  you  do 
with  them?' 

"  'I  threw  them  out  of  the  window,'  said  I. 

"  'What!   into  the  street?' 

"  'Yes;  into  the  street,'  I  said. 

"  'What  did  you  do  that  for?' 

"  'They  were  wet;  ^and  I  was  afraid  that  if  I  left 
them  in  the  room  they  would  be  put  on  at  night,  and 
give  somebody  else  a  cold.' 

"  'Then,  sir,'  said  she,  'you'll  have  to  pay  for 
them.' 


16  MEMOIR  OF  THE    AUTHOR. 

"  'Make  out  your  bill,  madam,'  I  replied,  'and  put 
the  price  of  the  wet  sheets  in  it,  and  I  will  send  it 
to  the  Times,  and  let  the  public  know  how  much  you 
charge  for  wet  sheets.' 

"I  turned  upon  my  heel,  and  went  back  to  the 
sitting-room.  A  moment  more,  and  my  bill  was 
brought  in;  but  nothing  said  about  the  sheets,  and  no 
charge  made  for  them.  The  coach  came  to  the  door: 

o 

and  as  I  passed  through  the  hall  leaving  the  house, 
the  landlady  met  me,  but  with  a  different  smile. 

"  'I  hope,  sir,'  said  she,  'that  you  will  never  men 
tion  the  little  incident  about  the  sheets.  I  am  very 
sorry  for  it.  It  would  ruin  my  house  if  it  were 
known.'  Thinking  that  she  was  punished  enough 
in  the  loss  of  her  property,  I  promised  not  to  men 
tion  the  name  of  the  house,  if  I  ever  did  the  incident. 

"The  following  week  I  returned  to  the  hotel,  when  I 
learned  the  fact  from  the  waiter  that  they  had  suspected 
that  I  had  stolen  the  sheets,  and  that  a  police  officer 
was  concealed  behind  the  hall  door,  on  the  day  that 
I  was  talking  with  the  landlady.  When  I  retired  to 
bed  that  night,  I  found  two  jugs  of  hot  water  in  the 
bed,  and  the  sheets  thoroughly  dried  and  aired. 

"I  visited  the  same  hotel  several  times  afterwards, 
and  was  invariably  treated  with  the  greatest  deference, 
which  no  doubt  was  the  result  of  my  night  with  the 
wet  sheets." 

In  1852,  Mr.  Brown  gave  to  the  public  his  "Three 


MEMOIR  OF  THE   AUTHOR.  17 

Years  in  Europe,"  a  work  which  at  once  placed  him 
high  as  an  author,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
extracts  from  some  of  the  English  journals.  The  Ec 
lectic  Review,  edited  by  the  venerable  Dr.  Price,  one 
of  the  best  critics  in  the  realm,  said, — "Mr.  Brown  has 
produced  a  literary  work  not  unworthy  of  a  highly-cul 
tivated  gentleman." 

Rev.  Dr.  Campbell,  in  the  British  Banner,  re 
marked:  "We  have  read  Mr.  Brown's  book  with  an 
unusual  measure  of  interest.  Seldom,  indeed,  have 
we  met  with  anything  more  captivating.  A  work  more 
worthy  of  perusal  has  not,  for  a  considerable  time,, 
come  into  our  hands." 

"Mr.  Brown  writes  with  ease  and  ability,"  said  the 
Times,  "and  his  intelligent  observations  upon  the  great 
question  to  which  he  has  devoted  and  is  devoting  his  life 
will  command  influence  and  respect." 

The  Literary  Gazette,  an  excellent  authority,  says  of 
it,  "The  appearance  of  this  book  is  too  remarkable  a 
literary  event,  to  pass  without  a  notice.  At  the  moment 
when  attention  in  this  country  is  directed  to  the  state 
of  the  colored  people  in  America,  the  book  appears 
with  additional  advantage:  if  nothing  else  were  attained 

O       *~~  ^J/ 

by  its  publication,  it  is  well  to  have  another  proof  of 
the  capability  of  the  negro  intellect.  Altogether,  Mr. 
Brown  has  written  a  pleasing  and  amusing  volume, 
and  we  are  glad  to  bear  this  testimony  to  the  literary 
merit  of  a  work  by  a  negro  author." 
2 


18  MEMOIil  OF    THE   AUTHOR. 

The  Glasgow  Citizen,  in  its  review,  remarked, — 
"W.  Wells  Brown  is  no  ordinary  man,  or  he  could 
not  have  so  remarkably  surmounted  the  many  difficul 
ties  and  impediments  of  his  training  as  a  slave.  By 
dint  of  resolution,  self-culture,  and  force  of  character, 
he  has  rendered  himself  a  popular  lecturer  to  a  Brit 
ish  audience,  and  a  vigorous  expositor  of  the  evils  and 
atrocities  of  that  system  whose  chains  he  has  shaken 
off  so  triumphantly  and  forever.  We  may  safely  pro 
nounce  William  Wells  Brown  a  remarkable  man,  and 
a  full  refutation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  inferiority  of 
the  negro." 

The  Glasgow  Examiner  said, — "This  is  a  thrilling 
book,  independent  of  adventitious  circumstances,  which 
will  enhance  its  popularity.  The  author  of  it  is  not  a 
man,  in  America,  but  a  chattel, — a  thing  to  be  bought, 
and  sold,  and  whipped;  but  in  Europe,  he  is  an  au 
thor,  and  a  successful  one,  too.  He  gives  in  this  book 
an  interesting  and  graphic  description  of  a  three  years' 
residence  in  Europe.  The  book  will  no  doubt  obtain, 
as  it  well  deserves,  a  rapid  and  wide  popularity." 

In  the  spring  of  1853,  the  fugitive  brought  out  his 
work,  "Clotelle ;  or,  the  President's  Daughter, ' '  a  book 
of  nearly  three  hundred  pages,  being  a  narrative  of 
slave  life  in  the  Southern  States.  This  work  called 
forth  new  criticisms  on  the  "Negro  Author"  and  his 
literary  efforts.  The  London  Daily  News  pronounced 
it  a  book  that  would  make  a  deep  impression;  while 


MEMOIH  OF   THE   AUTHOR.  19 

The  Leader,  edited  by  the  SOD  of  Leigh  Hunt,  thought 
many  parts  of  it  "equal  to  anything  which  had  ap 
peared  on  the  slavery  question." 

The  above  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  encomiums 
bestowed  upon  our  author.  'Besides  writing  his 
books,  Mr.  Brown  was  also  a  regular  contributor  to  the 
columns  of  The  London  Daily  News,  The  Liberator, 
Frederick  Douglass'  Paper,  and  The  National  Anti-sla 
very  Standard.  When  we  add,  that  in  addition  to  his 
literary  labors,  Mr.  Brown  was  busily  engaged  in  the 
study  of  the  medical  profession,  it  will  be  admitted  that 
he  is  one  of  the  most  industrious  of  men.  After  remain 
ing  abroad  nearly  six  years,  and  travelling  extensively 
through  Great  Britain  acd  on  the  continent,  he  returned 
to  the  United  States  in  1854,  landing  at  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  welcomed  in  a  large  public  meeting 
presided  over  by  Robert  Purvis,  Esq. 

On  reaching  Boston,  a  welcome  meeting  was  held  in 
Tremont  Temple,  with  Francis  Jackson,  Esq.,  in  the 
chair,  and  at  which  Wendell  Phillips  said, — "I  rejoice 
that  our  friend  Brown  went  abroad;  I  rejoice  still 
more  that  he  has  returned.  The  years  any  thoughtful 
man  spends  abroad  must  enlarge  his  mind  and  store  it 
richly.  But  such  a  visit  is  to  a  colored  man  more 
than  merely  intellectual  education.  He  lives  for  the 
first  time  free  from  the  blighting  chill  of  prejudice. 
He  sees  no  society,  no  institution,  no  place  of  resort 
or  means  of  comfort  from  which  his  color  debars  him. 


20  MEMOIR  OF  THE   AUTHOR. 

* 

"We  have  to  thank  our  friend  for  the  fidelity  with 
which  he  has,  amid  many  temptations,  stood  by  thsse 
whose  good  name  religious  prejudice  is  trying  to  un 
dermine  in  Great  Britain..  That  land  is  not  all  Para 
dise  to  the  colored 'man.  Too  many  of  them  allow 
themselves  to  be  made  tools  of  the  most  subtle  of 
their  race.  We  recognize,  to-night,  the  clear-sighted 
ness  and  fidelity  of  Mr.  Brown's  course  abroad,  not 
only  to  thank  him,  but  to  assure  our  friends  there 
that  this  is  what  the  Abolitionists  of  Boston  endorse." 

Mr.  Phillips  proceeded: — "I  still  more  rejoice  that 
Mr.  Brown  has  returned.  Returned  to  what?  Not  to 
what  he  can  call  his  'country.'  The  white  man 
comes  'home.'  When  Milton  heard,  in  Italy,  the 
souuci  of  arms  from  England,  he  hastened  back — 
young,  enthusiastic,  and  bathed  in  beautiful  art  as  he 
was  in  Florence.  'I  would  not  be  away,'  he  said, 
'when  a  blow  was  struck  for  liberty.'  He  came  to  a 
country  where  his  manhood  was  recognized,  to  fight 
on  equal  footing. 

"The  black  man  comes  home  to  no  liberty  but  the 
liberty  of  suffering — to  struggle  in  fetters  for  the  wel 
fare  of  his  race.  It  is  a  magnanimous  sympathy  with 
his  blood  that  brings  such  a  man  back.  I  honor  it. 
We  meet  to  do  it  honor.  Franklin's  motto  was, 
Ubi  Libertas,  ibi  patria — Where  liberty  is,  there  is 
my  country.  Had  our  friend  adopted  that  for  his  rule, 
he  would  have  stayed  in  Europe.  Liberty  for  him 


ME3IOIK  OF  THE   AUTHOR.  21 

is  there.  The  colored  man  who  returns,  like  our 
friend,  to  labor,  crushed  and  despised,  for  his  race, 
sails  under  a  higher  flag.  His  motto  is, — 'Where 
my  country  is,  there  will  I  bring  liberty!' 

Although  Dr.  Brown  could  have  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  for  which  he  was  so  well 
qualified,  he  nevertheless,  with  his  accustomed  zeal, 
continued  with  renewed  vigor  in  the  cause  of  the  free*- 
dom  of  his  race. 

In  travelling  through  the  country  and  facing  the 
prejudice  that  met  the  colored  man  at  every  step,  he 
saw  more  plainly  the  vast  difference  between  this 
country  and  Europe. 

In  giving  an  account  of  his  passage  on  the  little 
steamer  that  plies  between  Ithica  and  Cayuga  Bridge, 
he  says,— 

"When  the  bell  rang  for  breakfast,  I  went  to  the 
table,  where  I  found  some  twenty  or  thirt}^  persons. 
I  had  scarcely  taken  my  seat,  when  a  rather  snobby- 
appearing  man,  of  dark  complexion,  looking  as  if  a 
South  Carolina*  or  Georgia  sun  had  tanned  him,  began 
lubbing  his  hands,  and,  turning  up  his  nose,  called 
the  steward,  and  said  to  him,  'Is  it  the  custom  on 
this  boat  to  put  niggers  at  the  table  with  white  f>eo- 
ple?' 

"The  servant  stood  for  a  moment,  as  if  uncertain 

• 

what  reply  to  make,  when  the  passenger  contin 
ued,  'Go  tell  the  captain  that  I  want  him.'  Away 


22  MEMOIR   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

went  the  steward.  I  had  been  too  often  insulted  on 
account  of  my  connection  with  the  slave,  not  to  know  - 
for  what  the  captain  was  wanted.  However,  as  I  was 
hungry,  I  commenced  helping  myself  to  what  T  saw 
before  me,  yet  keeping  an  eye  to  the  door,  through 
which  the  captain  was  soon  to  make  his  appearance. 
As  the  steward  returned,  and  I  heard  the  heavy  boots 
of  the  commander  on  the  stairs,  a  happy  thought 
struck  me ;  and  I  eagerly  watched  for  the  coming-in 
of  the  officer. 

"A  moment  more,  and  a  strong  voice  called  out, 
'Who  wants  me?' 

"I  answered  at  once,  <I,  sir.' 
"  'What  do  you  wish?'  asked  the  captain. 
"  <I  want  you  to  take  this   man  from  the  table,' 
said  I. 

"At  this  unexpected  turn  of  the  affair,  the  whole 
cabin  broke  out  into  roars  of  laughter;  while  my  rival 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  seemed  bursting  with 
rage.  The  captain,  who  had  joined  in  the  merriment, 
said, — 

"  'Why  do  you  want  him  taken  from  the  table?' 
"  'Is  it  your  custom,  captain,'  said  I,  'to  let  niggers 
sit«at  table  with  white  folks  on  your  boat?' 

"This  question,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  other 
passenger  had  sent  for  the  officer,  and  that  I  had 
'  stolen  his  thunder,'  appeared  to  please  the  company 
very  much,  who  gave  themselves  up  to  laughter;  while 


MEMOIR  OF   THE  AUTHOR.  23 

the  Southern-looking  man  left  the  cabin  with  the  ex 
clamation,  'Damn  fuolsl* 

In  the  autumn  of  1854,  Dr.  Brown  published  his 
"Sketches  of  Places  and  People  Abroad,"  that  met 
with  a  rapid  sale,  and  which  the  New  York  Tribune 
said,  was  "well-written  and  intensely  interesting." 

His  drama,  entitled  "The  Dough  Face,"  written 
shortly  after,  and  read  by  him  before  lyceums,  gave 
general  satisfaction  wherever  it  was  heard. 

Indeed,  in  this  particular  line  the  doctor  seems  to 
excel,  and  the  press  was  unanimous  in  its  praise  of  his 
efforts.  The  Boston  Journal  characterized  the  drama 
and  its  reading  as  "interesting  in  its  composition,  and 
admirably  rendered. ' ' 

"The  Escape;  or,  Leap  for  Freedom,"  followed  the 
"Dough  Face,"  and  this  drama  gave  an  amusing  pic 
ture  of  slave  life,  and  was  equally  as  favorably  received 
by  the  public. 

In  1863,  Dr.  Brown  brought  out  "The  Black 
Man,"  a  work  which  ran  through  ten  editions  in  three 
years,  and  which  was  spoken  of  by  the  press  in  terms 
of  the  highest  commendation,  and  of  which  Fred 
erick  Douglass  wrote  in  his  own  paper, — 

"Though  Mr.  Brown's  book  may  stand  alone  upon  its 
own  merits,  and  stand  strong,  yet  while  reading  its 
interesting  pages, — abounding  in  fact  and  argument, 
replete  with  eloquence,  logic,  and  learning,  clothed 
with  simple  yet  eloquent  language, — it  is  hard  to  repress 


24  MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

the  inquiry,  Whence  has  this  man  this  knowledge? 
He  seems  to  have  read  and  remembered  nearly  every 
thing  which  has  been  written  and  said  respecting  the 
ability  of  the  negro,  and  has  condensed  and  arranged 
the  whole  into  an  admirable  argument,  calculated  both 
to  interest  and  convince." 

William  Lloyd  Garrison  said,  in  The  Liberator, 
"This  work  has  done  good  service,  and  proves  its 
author  to  be  a  man  of  superior  mind  and  cultivated 
ability." 

Hon.  Gerritt  Smith,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  BrowTn,  re 
marked, — "I  thank  you  for  writing  such  a  book.  'It 
will  greatly  benefit  the  colored  race.  Send  me  five 
copies  of  it." 

Lewis  Tappen,  in  his  Cooper  Institute  speech,  on 
the  5th  of  January,  1863,  said, — ''This  is  just  the  book 
for  the  hour ;  it  will  do  more  for  the  colored  man's  ele 
vation  than  any  work  yet  published." 

The  space  allowed  me  for  this  sketch  will  not  admit 
the  many  interesting  extracts  that  might  be  given  from 
the  American  press  in  Dr.  Brown's  favor  as  a  writer 
and  a  polished  reader.  However,  I  cannot  here  omit 
the  valuable  testimony  of  Professor  Hollis  Bead,  in  his 
ably-written  work,  "The  Negro  Problem  Solved."  On 
page  183,  in  writing  of  the  intelligent  colored  men  of 
the  country,  he  says:  "As  a  writer,  I  should  in  justice 
give  the  first  place  to  Dr.  William  Wells  Brown,  author 
of  <The  Black  Man.'  " 


MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR.  .    25 

"Clotelle,"  written  by  Dr.  Brown,  a  romance 
founded  on  fact,  is  one  of  the  most  thrilling  stories 
that  we  remember  to  have  read,  and  shows  the  great 
versatility  of  the  cast  of  mind  of  our  author. 

The  temperance  cause  in  Massachusetts,  and  indeed, 
throughout  New  England,  finds  in  Dr.  Brown  an  able 
advocate. 

The  Grand  Division  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance  of 
Massachusetts  did  itself  the  honor  of  electing  him 

o 

Grand  Worthy  Associate  of  that  body,  and  thereby 
giving  him  a  seat  in  the  National  Division  of  the  Sons 
of  Temperance  of  North  America,  where,  at  its  meeting 
in  Boston,  1871,  his  speech  in  behalf  of  the  admission  of 
the  colored  delegates  from  Maryland,  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten  by  those  who  were  present. 

The  doctor  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Good 
Templars  of  Massachusetts.  His  efforts,  in  connection 
with  his  estimable  wife,  for  the  spread  of  temperance 
among  the  colored  people  of  Boston,  deserve  the  high 
est  commendation. 

Some  five  years  ago,  our  author,  in  company  with 
others,  organized  "The  National  Association  for  the 
Spread  of  Temperance  and  Night-schools  among  the 
Freed  People  at  the  South,"  of  which  he  is  now  presi 
dent.  This  society  is  accomplishing  great  good  among 
the  freedmen. 

It  was  while  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  of  visiting 
the  South,  in  1871,  and  during  his  travels  through  the 


26  .  MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

State  of  Kentucky,  he  became  a  victim  of  the  Ku-Klux, 
and  of  which  the  following  is  the  narrative  : — 

4kl  visited  my  native  State  in  behalf  of  The  National 
Association  for  the  Spread  of  Temperance  and  Night- 
schools  among  the  Freedmen,"  and  had  spoken  to 
large  numbers  of  them  at  Louisville,  and  other  places, 
and  was  on  my  way  to  speak  at  Pleasureville,  a  place 
half-way  between  Louisville  and  Lexington.  I  arrived 
at  Pleasureville  depot  a  little  after  six  in  the  evening, 
and  was  met  by  a  colored  man,  who  informed  me  that 
the  meeting  was  to  take  place  five  miles  in  the  country. 

"After  waiting  some  time  for  a  team  which  was  ex 
pected,  we  started  on  foot,  thinking  we  would  meet 
the  vehicle.  We  walked  on  until  dark  overtook  us, 
and  seeing  no  team,  I  began  to  feel  apprehensive  that 
all  was  not  right.  The  man  with  me,  however,  as 
sured  me  that  there  was  no  danger,  and  went  on.  But 
we  shortly  after  l^eard  the  trotting  of  horses,  both  in 
front  and  in  the  rear,  and  before  I  could  determine 
what  to  do,  we  were  surrounded  by  some  eight  or  ten 
men,  three  of  whom  dismounted,  bound  my  arms  be 
hind  me  with  a  cord,  remounted  their  horses,  and 
started  on  in  the  direction  I  had  been  travelling. 

o 

The  man  who  was  with  me  disappeared  while  1  was 
being  tied.  The  men  were  not  disguised,  and  talked 
freely  among  themselves. 

"After  going  a  mile  or  more,  they  stopped,  and  con 
sulted  a  moment  or  two,  the  purport  of  which  I  could 


MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR.  27 

not  hear,  except  one  of  them  saying, — 'Lawrence 
don't  want  a  nigger  hung  so  near  his  place/  They 
started  again;  I  was  on  foot,  a  rope  had  been  attached 
to  my  arms,  and  the  other  end  to  one  of  the  horses. 
I  had  to  hasten  my  steps  to  keep  from  t>eing  dragged 
along  by  the  animal.  Soon  they  turned  to  the  right, 
and  followed  up  what  appeared  to  be  a  cow-path. 

"While  on  this  road  my  hat  fell  off,  and  I  called  out 
to  the  man  behind  and  said,  'I've  lost  my  hat.' 

"  'You'll  need  no  hat  in  half  an  hour's  time,'  he 
replied.  As  we  were  passing  a  log  house  on  this  road, 
a  man  came  out  and  said,  in  a  trembling  voice, 
'Jim's  dying!'  All  the  men  now  dismounted,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  two,  they  went  into  the  build 
ing.  I  distinctly  heard  the  cries,  groans,  and  ravings 
of  the  sick  man,  which  satisfied  me  at  once  that  it  was 
an  extreme  case  of  delirium  tremens;  and  as  I  treated 
the  malady  successfully  by  the  hypodermic  remedy, 
and  having  with  me  the  little  instrument,  the  thought 
flashed  upon  my  mind  that  I  might  save  my  life  by  the 
trial.  Consequently,  I  said  to  one  of  the  men, — 'I 
know  what's  the  matter  with  that  man,  and  I  can  re 
lieve  him  in  ten  minutes.' 

One  of  the  men  went  into  the  house,  related  what 
I  had  said,  and  the  company  came  out.  The  leader, 
whom  they  all  addressed  as  'Cap,'  began  to  question 
me  with  regard  to  my  skill  in  such  complaints.  He 
soon  became  satisfied,  untied  me,  and  we  entered  the 


28  MEMOIR  OF  THE   AUTHOR. 

sick  man's  chamber.  My  hands  were  so  numb  from 
the  tightness  of  the  cord  which  bound  my  arms,  that 
I  walked  up  and  down  the  room  for  some  minutes, 
rubbing  my  hands,  and  contemplating  the  situation. 
The  man  lay  ifpon  a  bed  of  straw,  his  arms' and  legs 
bound  to  the  bedstead  to  keep  him  from  injuring  him 
self  and  others.  He  had,  in  his  agony,  bitten  his 
tongue  and  lips,  and  his  mouth  was  covered  with 
bloody  froth,  while  the  glare  of  his  eyes  was  fearful. 
His 'wife,  the  only  woman  in  the  house,  sat  near  the 
bed  with  an  infant  upon  her  lap,  her  countenance  pale 
and  anxious,  while  the  company  of  men  seemed  to  be 
the  most  desperate  set  I  had  ever  seen. 

1  'I  determined  from  the  first  to  try  to  impress  them 
with  the  idea  that  I  had  derived  my  power  to  relieve 
pain  from  some  supernatural  source.  While  I  was 
thus  thinking  the  matter  over,  'Cap'  was  limping  up 
and  down  the  room,  breathing  an  oath  at  nearly  every 
step,  and  finally  said  to  me, — 'Come,  come,  old  boy, 
take  hold  lively;  I  want  to  get  home,  for  this  d-r-d 
old  hip  of  mine  is  raising  h — 1  with  me.'  I  said  to 
them, — 'Now,  gentlemen,  I'll  give  this  man  com 
plete  relief  in  less  than  ten  minutes  from  the  time 
I. lay  my  hands  on  him;  but  I  must  be  permitted  to 
retire  to  a  room  alone,  for  I  confess  that  I  have  dealings 

•  o 

with  the  devil,  and  I  must  consult  with  him.'  Noth 
ing  so  charms  an  ignorant  people  as  something  th,at  has 
about  it  the  appearance  of  superstition,  and  I  did  not 


MEMOIR  OF  THE   AUTHOR.  29 

want  these  men  to  see  the  syringe,  or  to  know  of  its 
existence.  The  woman  at  once  lighted  a  tallow  candle, 
handed  it  to  'Cap,'  and  pointed  to  a  small  room. 
The  man  led  the  way,  set  the  light  down,  and  left  me 
alone.  I  now  took  out  my  case,  adjusted  the  needle  to 
the  syringe,  filled  it  with  a  solution  of  the  acetate  of 
morphia,  put  the  little  instrument  into  my  vest  pocket, 
and  returned  to  the  room. 

"After  waving  my  hands  in  the  air,  I  said, — 'Gen 
tlemen,  I  want  your  aid;  give  it  to  me,  and  I'll  per 
form  a  cure  that  you'll  never  forget.  All  of  you  look 
upon  that  man  till  I  say,  "Hold! "  Look  him  right  in 
the  eye.'  All  eyes  were  immediately  turned  upon  the 
invalid.  Having  already  taken  my  stand  at  the  foot  of 
the  bed,  I  took  hold  of  the.  right  leg  near  the  calf, 
pinched  up  the  skin,  inserted  the  needle,  withdrew  it 
after  discharging  the  contents,  slipped  the  syringe  into 
my  pocket,  and  cried  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  'Hold!' 
The  men  now  turned  to  me,  alternately  viewing  me  and 
the  sick  man.  From  the  moment  that  the  injection  took 
place,  the  ravings  began  to  cease,  and  in  less  than  ten 
minutes  he  was  in  perfect  ease.  I  continued  to  wave 
my  hands,  and  to  tell  the  devils  'to  depart  and  leave 
this  man  in  peace.'  'Cap'  was  the  first  to  break  the 
silence,  and  he  did  it  in  an  emphatic  manner,  for  he 
•gazed  steadily  at  me,  then  at  the  sick  man,  and  ex 
claimed, — 'Big  thing!  big  thing,  boys,  d — d  if  it 
ain't!' 


30  MEMOIIl   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

Another  said,— * A  conjurer,  by  h— 11!  you  heard 
him  say  he  deals  with  the  devil.'  I  now  thought 
it  time  to  try  'Cap,'  for,  from  his  limping,  groaning, 
and  swearing  about  his  hip,  it  seemed  to  me  a  clear 
case  of  sciatica,  and  I  thus  informed  him,  giving  him 
a  description  of  its  manner  of  attack  and  progress, 
detailing  to  him  the  different  stages  of  suffering. 

''I  had  early  learned  from  the  deference  paid  to  the 
man  by  his  associates,  that  he  was  their  leader,  and  I 
was  anxious  to  get  my  hands  on  him,  for  I  had  resolved 
that  if  ever  I  got  him  under  the  influence  of  the  drug, 
he  should  never  have  an  opportunity  of  putting  a  rope 
around  my  neck.  'Cap'  was  so  pleased  with  my 
diagnosis  of  his  complaint,  that  he  said, — 'Well,  I'll 
give  you  a  trial,  d — d  if  I  don't!'  I  informed  him 
that  I  must  be  with  him  alone.  The  woman  remarked 
that  we  could  go  in  the  adjoining  room.  As  we  left 
the  company,  one  of  them  said:  'You  aint  agoin'  to 
kill  "Cap,"  is  you?'  'Oh,  no!'  I  replied.  I  said, 
'Now,  "Cap,"  I'll  cure  you,  but  I  need  your  aid.' 
'Sir,'  returned  he,  'I'll  do  anything  you  tell  me.' 
I  told  him  to  lay  on  the  bed,  shut  his  eyes,  and  count 
one  hundred.  He  obeyed  at  once,  and  while  he  was 
counting,  I  was  filling  the  syringe  with  the  morphia. 

When  he  had  finished  counting,  I  informed  him  that 
I  would  have  to  pinch  him  on  the  lame  leg,  so  as  to 
get  the  devil  out  of  it.  'Oh!'  replied  he,  'you 
may  pinch  as  much  as  you  d — d  please,  for  I've  seen 


MEMOIR  OF   THE  AUTHOK.  31 

and  felt  h — 11  with  this  old  hip ! '  I  injected  the  mor 
phia  as  I  had  done  in  the  previous  case,  and  began  to 
sing  a  noted  Methodist  hymn  as  soon  as  I  had  fin 
ished.  As  the  medicine  took  effect,  the  man  went 
rapidly  off  into  a  slumber,  from  which  he  did  not 
awake  while  I  was  there,  for  I  had  given  him  a  double 
dose. 

"I  will  here  remark",  that  while  the  morphia  will 
give  most  instant  relief  in  sciatica,  it  seldom  performs 
a  perfect  cure.  But  in  both  cases  I  knew  it  would 
serve  my  purpose.  As  soon  as  'Cap'  was  safe,  I 
called  in  his  companions,  who  appeared  still  more 
amazed  than  at  first.  They  held  their  faces  to  his  to 
see  that  he  breathed,  and  would  shake  their  heads  and 
go  out.  I  told  them  that  I  should  have  to  remain 
with  the  man  five  or  six  hours.  At  this  announce 
ment  one  of  the  company  got  furious,  and  said,  'It's 
all  a  trick  to  save  his  neck  from  the  halter,'  and 
concluded  by  saying  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  'Come 
to  the  tree,  to  the  tree!'  The  men  all  left  the  room, 
assembled  in  the  yard,  and  had  a  consultation.  -  It  was 
now  after  eleven  o'clock,  and  as  they  had  a  large  flask 
of  brandy  with  them  they  appeared  to  keep  themselves 
well-filled,  from  the  manner  in  which  the  room  kept 
scented  up.  At  this  juncture  one  of  the  company,  a  tall, 
red-haired  man,  whose  face  was  completely  covered  with 
beard,  entered  the  room,  took  his  seat  at  the  table, 
drew  out  of  his  pocket  a  revolver,  laid  it  on  the  table, 


32  MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

and  began  to  fill  his  mouth  with  tobacco.  The  men 
outside  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  away,  one  of 
whom  distinctly  shouted,  'Remember,  four  o'clock.'  I 
continued  to  visit  one  and  then  the  other  of  the  inva 
lids,  feeling  their  pulse,  and  otherwise  showing  my 
interest  in  their  recovery. 

*'The  brandy  appeared  to  have  as  salutary  effect  on 
the  man  at  the  table  as  the  morphia  had  on  the  sick,  for 
he  was  fast  asleep  in  a  few  minutes.  The  only  imped 
iment  in  the  way  of  my  escape  now  was  a  large  dog, 
which  it  was  difficult  to  keep  from  me  when  I  first 
came  to  the  house,  and  was  now  barking,  snapping, 
and  growling,  as  if  he  had  been  trained  to  it. 

"Many  modes  of  escape  suggested  themselves  to  me 
while  the  time  was  thus  passing,  the  most  favored  of 
which  was  to  seize  the  revolver,  rush  out  of  the  house, 
and  run  my  chance  with  the  dog.  However,  before 
I  could  put  any  of  these  suggestions  into  practice, 
the  woman  went  out,  called  'Lion,  Lion/  and  re 
turned,  followed  by  the  dog,  which  she  made  lie 
down  by  her  as  she  reseated  herself.  In  a  low  whis 
per,  this  woman,  whose  fate  deserves  to  be  a  better 
one,  said, — 'They  are  going  to  hang  you  at  four  o'clock; 
now  is  your  time  to  go.'  The  clock  was  just  strik 
ing  two  when  I  arose,  and  with  a  grateful  look,  left 
the  house.  Taking  the  road  that  I  had  come,  and  fol 
lowing  it  down,  I  found  my  hat,  and  after  walking 
some  distance  out  of  the  way  by  mistake,  I  reached 


MEMOIR  OF   THE    AUTHOR.  33 

the  station,  and  took  the  morning  train  for  Cincin 
nati.'' 

I  cannot  conclude  this  sketch  of  our  author's  life 
without  alluding  to  an  incident  which  occurred  at 
Aurora,  my  native  town,  on  a  visit  to  that  place  in  the 
winter  of  1844. 

Dr.  Brown  was  advertised  to  speak  in  the  old 
church,  which  he  found  filled  to  overflowing,  with  an 
audience  made  up  mostly  of  men  who  had  previously 
determined  that  tl^e  meeting  should  not  be  held. 

The  time  for  opening  the  meeting  had  already  ar 
rived,  and  the  speaker  was  introduced  by  my  father, 
who  acted  as  chairman. 

The  coughing,  whistling,  stamping  of  feet,  and  other 
noises  made  by  the  assemblage,  showed  the  prejudice 
existing  against  the  anti-slavery  cause,  the  doctrines 
of  which  the  speaker  was  there  to  advocate.  This 
tumult  lasted  for  half  an  hour  or  more,  during  which 
time  unsalable  eggs,  peas,  and  other  missiles  were 
liberally  thrown  at  the  speaker. 

One  of  the  e<r<rs  took  effect  on  the  doctor's  face, 

^>  ^-- 

spattering  over  his  nicely-ironed  shirt  bosom,  and  giv 
ing  him  a  somewhat  ungainly  appearance,  which  kept 
the  audience  in  roars  of  laughter  at  the  expense  of 
our  fugitive  friend. 

Becoming  tired  of  this  sort  of  fun,  and  getting  his 
Southern  blood  fairly  aroused,  Dr.  Brown,  who,  driven 
from  the  pulpit,  was  standing  in  front  of  the  altar, 
3 


34  MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

nerved  himself  up,  assumed  a  highly  dramatic  air, 
and  said:  "I  shall  not  attempt  to  address  you;  no,  I 
would  not  speak  to  you  if  you  wanted  me  to.  How 
ever,  let  me  tell  you  one  thing,  and  that  is,  if  you 
had  been  in  the  South  a  slave  as  I  was,  none  of  you 
would  ever  have  had  the  courage  to  escape;  none  but 
cowards  would  do  as  you  have  done  here  to-night." 

Dr.  Brown  gradually  proceeded  into  a  narrative  of 
his  own  life  and  escape  from  the  South.  The  intense 
interest,  connected  with  the  various  incidents  as  he 
related  them,  chained  the  audience  to  their  seats,  and 
for  an  hour  and  a  half  he  spoke,  making  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  appeals  ever  heard  in  that  section  in 
behalf  of  his  race. 

I  have  often  heard  my  father  speak  of  it  as  an 
effort  worthy  of  our  greatest  statesmen.  Before  the 
commencement  of  the  meeting,  the  mob  had  obtained 
a  bag  of  flour,  taking  it  up  into  the  belfry  of  the 
church,  directly  over  the  entrance  door,  with  the  in 
tention  of  throwing  it  over  the  speaker  as  he  should 
pass  out. 

One  of  the  mob  had  been  sent  in  with  orders  to 
keep  as  close  to  the  doctor  as  he  could,  and  who  was  to 
give  the  signal  for  the  throwing  of  the  flour.  So 
great  was  the  influence  of  the  speaker  on  this  man, 
that  his  opinions  were  changed,  and  instead  of  giving 
the  word,  he  warned  the  doctor  of  the  impending  dan 
ger,  saying, — "When  you  hear  the  cry  of  'let  it  slide,' 


MEMOIR  OF   THE   AUTHOR.  35 

look  out  for  the  flour."  The  fugitive  had  no  sooner 
learned  these  facts  than  he  determined  to  have  a  lit 
tle  fun  at  the  expense  of  others. 

Pressing  his  way  forward,  and  getting  near  a  group 
of  the  most  respectable  of  the  company,  including  two 
clergymen,  a  physician,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace,  he 
moved  along  with  them,  and  as  they  passed  under  the 
belfry,  the  doctor  cried  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  ''Let 
it  slide ! ' '  when  down  came  the  flour  upon  the  heads  of 
some  of  our  best  citizens,  which  created  the  wildest 
excitement,  and  caused  the  arrest  of  those  engaged 
in  the  disturbance. 

Everybody  regarded  Dr.  Brown's  aptness  in  this 
matter  as  a  splendid  joke ;  and  for  many  days  after, 
the  watchword  of  the  boys  was,  "Let  it  Slide  I'3 

Dr.  Brown  wrote  "The  Negro  in  the  Rebellion,"  in 
1866,  which  had  a  rapid  sale. 


THE    RISING    SON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   ETHIOPIANS   AND   EGYPTIANS. 

THE  origin  of  the  African  race  has  provoked  more 
criticism  than  any  other  of  the  various  races  of  man 
on  the  globe.  Speculation  has  exhausted  itself  in  try 
ing  to  account  for  the  Negro's  color,  features,  and 
hair,  that  distinguish  him  in  such  a  marked  manner 
from  the  rest  of  the  human  family. 

All  reliable  history,  and  all  the  facts  which  I  have 
been  able  to  gather  upon  this  subject,  show  that  the 
African  race  descended  from  the  country  of  the  Nile, 
and  principally  from  Ethiopia. 

The  early  history  of  Ethiopia  is  involved  in  great 
obscurity.  When  invaded  by  the  Egyptians,  it  was 
found  to  contain  a  large  population,  consisting  of 
savages,  hunting  and  fishing  tribes,  wandering  herds 
men,  shepherds,  and  lastly,  a  civilized  class,  dwelling 
in  houses  and  in  large  cities,  possessing  a  govern- 

(37) 


38  THE  RISING    SON. 

meiit  and  laws,  acquainted  with  the  use  of  hieroglyph 
ics,  the  fame  of  whose  progress  in  knowledge  and 
the  social  arts  had,  in  the  remotest  ages,  spread  over 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  earth.  Even  at  that 
early  period,  when  all  the  nations  were  in  their  rudo 
and  savage  state,  Ethiopia  was  full  of  historical  mon 
uments,  erected  chiefly  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 

The  earliest  reliable  information  we  have  of  Ethiopia, 
is  (B.  C.  971)  when  the  rulers  of  that  country  assisted 
Shishank  in  his  war  against  Judea,  "with  very  many 
chariots  and  horsemen."  Sixteen  years  later,  we  have 
an  account  of  Judea  being  again  invaded  by  an  army 
of  a  million  Ethiopians,  unaccompanied  by  any  Egyp 
tian  force.*  The  Ethiopian  power  gradually  increased 
until  its  monarchs  were  enabled  t^o  conquer  Egypt, 
where  three  of  them  reigned  in  succession,  Sab- 
backon,  Sevechus,  and  Tarakus,  the  Tirhakah  of 
Scripture,  f 

Ssvechus,  called  so  in  Scripture,  wa&  so  powerful  a 
monarch  that  Hoshed,  king  of  Israel,  revolted  against 
the  Assyrians,  relying  on  his  assistance,!  but  was  not 
supported  by  his  ally.  This  indeed,  was  the  imme 
diate  cause  of  the  captivity  of  the  Ten  Tribes;  for  "in 
the  ninth  year  of  Hoshed  the  king,  the  king  of  Assyria 
took  Samaria,  and  carried  Israel  away  into  Assyria,"  as 
a  punishment  for  unsuccessful  rebellion. 

Tirhakah  was  a  more  war-like  prince;    he  led  an 

*  2  Chron.  xiv :  8-13. 

f  Hawkins,  in   his  work  on   Meroe,  identifies   Tirhakah 
with  the  priest  Sethos,  upon  ground,  we  think,  not  tenable. 
|  2  Kings,  xvii :  4. 


THE    ETHIOPIANS    AND   EGYPTIANS.  39 

army  against  Sennacherib,*  king  of  Assyria,  then 
besieging  Jerusalem;  ancl  the  Egyptian  traditions, 
preserved  in  the  age  of  Herodotus,  give  an  accurate 
account  of  the  providential  interposition  by  which  the 
pride  of  the  Assyrians  was  humbled. 

It  is  said  that  the  kings  of  Ethiopia  were  always 
elected  from  the  priestly  caste;  and  there  was  a 
strange  custom  for  the  electors,  when  weary  of  their 
sovereign,  to  send  him  a  courier  with  orders  to  die. 
Ergamenes  was  the  first  monarch  who  ventured  to 
resist  this  absurd  custom;  he  lived  in  the  reign  of 
the  second  Ptolemy,  and  was  instructed  in  Grecian 
philosophy.  So  far  from  yielding,  he  marched  against 
the  fortress  of  the  priests,  massacred  most  of  them, 
and  instituted  a  new  religion. 

Queens  frequently  ruled  in  Ethiopia;  one  named 
Candace  made  war  on  Augustus  Cyesar,  about  twenty 
years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  though  not  suc 
cessful,  obtained  peace  on  very  favorable  conditions. 

The  pyramids  of  Ethiopia,  though  inferior  in  size 
to  those  in  Egypt,  are  said  to  surpass  them  in  archi 
tectural  beauty,  and  the  sepulchres  evince  the  greatest 
purity  of  taste.  ' 

But  the  most  important  and  striking  proof  of  the 
progress  of  the  Ethiopians  in  the  art  of  building,  is 
their  knowledge  and  employment  of  the  arch.  Hos- 
kins  has  stated  that  their  pyramids  are  of  superior 
antiquity  to  those  of  Egypt.  The  Ethiopian  vases 
depicted  on  the  monuments,  though  not  richly  orna 
mented,  display  a  taste  and  elegance  of  form  that 
has  never  been  surpassed.  In  sculpture  and  coloring, 

*  2  Kings,  xix  :  9. 


40  THE   RISING   SON. 

the  edifices  of  Ethiopia,  though  not  so  profusely 
adorned,  rival  the  choicest  specimens  of  Egyptian 
art. 

Meroe  was  the  entrepot  of  trade  between  the  North 
and  the  South,  between  the  East  and  the  West,  while 
its  fertile  soil  enabled  the  Ethiopians  to  purchase  for 
eign  luxuries  with  native  productions.  It  does  not 
appear  that  fabrics  were  woven  in  Ethiopia  so  exten 
sively  as  in  Egypt ;  but  the  manufacture  of  metal  must 
have  been  at  least  as  flourishing. 

But  Ethiopia  owed  its  greatness  less  to  the  prod 
uce  of  its  soil  or  its  factories  than  to  its  position  on  the 
intersection  of  the  leading  caravan  routes  of  ancient 
commerce. 

The  Ethiopians  were  among  the  first  nations  that 
organized  a  regular  army,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  whole  system  of  ancient  warfare.  A  brief  ac 
count  of  their  military  affairs  will  therefore  illustrate 
not  only  their  history,  but  that  of  the  great  Asiatic 
monarchies,  and  of  the  Greeks  during  the  heroic  a<res. 

'  CD  O 

The  most  important  division  of  an  Ethiopian  army  was 
the  body  of  war-chariots,  used  instead  of  cavalry. 
These  chariots  were  mounted  on  two  wheels  and 
made  low;  open  behind,  so  that  the  warrior  could 
easily  step  in  and  out;  and  without  a  seat. 

They  were  drawn  by  two  horses  and  generally  con 
tained  two  warriors,  one  of  whom  managed  the  steeds 

o 

while  the  other  fought.     Nations   were   distinguished 

o  o 

from  each  other  by  the  shape  and  color  of  their  char 
iots. 

Great  care  was  taken  in  the  manufacturing  of  the 
chariots  and  also  of  the  breeding  of  horses  to  draw 
them.  Nothing  in  our  time  can  equal  the  attention 


THE    ETHIOPIANS   AJ*D   EGYPTIANS.  41 

paid  by  the  ancients  in  the  training  of  horses  for  the 
battle-field. 

The  harness  which  these  animals  wore  was  richly 
decorated;  and  a  quiver  and  bow-case,  decorated  with 
extraordinary  taste  and  skill,  were  securely  fixed  to 
the  side  of  each  chariot.  The  bow  was  the  national 
weapon,  employed  by  both  cavalry  and  infantry.  No 
nation  of  antiquity  paid  more  attention  to  archery  than 
the  Ethiopians;  their  arrows  better  aimed  than  those 
of  any  other  nation,  the  Egyptians  perhaps  excepted. 
The  children  of  the  warrior  caste  were  trained  from 
early  infancy  to  the  practice  of  archery. 

The  arms  of  the  Ethiopians  were  a  spear,  a  dagger, 
a  short  sword,  a  helmet,  and  a  shield.  Pole-axes  and 
battle-axes  were  occasionally  used.  Coats  of  mail 
were  used  only  by  the  principal  officers,  and  some 
remarkable  warriors,  like  Goliath,  the  champion  of  the 
Philistines.  The  light  troops  were  armed  with  swords, 
battle-axes,  maces,  and  clubs.  Some  idea  of  the  manly 
forms,  great  strength,  and  military  training  of  the  Ethi 
opians,  may  be  gathered  from  Herodotus;  the  father  of 
ancient  history. 

After  describing  Arabia  as  "a  land  exhaling  the 
most  delicious  fragrance,"  he  says, — "Ethiopia,  which 
is  the  extremity  of  the  habitable  world,  is  contiguous 
to  this  country  on  the  south-west.  Its  inhabitants  are 
very  remarkable  for  their  size,  their  beauty,  and  their 
length  of  life."  * 

In  his  third  book  he  has  a  detailed  description  of  a 
single  tribe  of  this  interesting  people,  called  the  Macro- 
bian,  or  long-lived  Ethiopians.  Cambyses,  the  Persian 

*  Herod,  iii :  114. 


42  THE  RISIXG  SON. 

king,  had  made  war  upon  Egypt,  and  subdued  it.  He 
is  then  seized  with  an  ambition  of  extending  his  con 
quests  still  farther,  and  resolves  to  make  war  upon  the 
Ethiopians.  But  before  undertaking  his  expedition,  he 
sends  spies  into  the  country  disguised  as  friendly  am 
bassadors,  who  carry  costly  presents  from  Cambyses. 
They  arrive  at  the  court  of  the  Ethiopian  prince,  "a 
man  superior  to  all  others  in  the  perfection  of  size  and 
beauty,"  who  sees  through  their  disguise,  and  takes 
down  a  bow  of  such  enormous  size  that  no  Persian 
could  bend  it.  "Give  your  king  this  bow,  aud  in  my 
name  speak  to  him  thus:  — 

"  'The  king  of  Ethiopia  sends  this  counsel  to  the 
king  of  Persia.  When  his  subjects  shall  be  able  .to 
bend  this  bow  with  the  same  ease  that  I  do,  then  let 
him  venture  to  attack  the  long-lived  Ethiopians. 
Meanwhile,  let  him  be  thankful  to  the  gods,  that  the 
Ethiopians  have  not  been  inspired  with  the  same  love 
of  conquest  as  himself.' 

Homer  wrote  at  least  eight  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  aiid  his  poems  are  well  ascertained  to  be  a 
most  faithful  mirror  of  the  manners  and  customs  of 
his  times,  and  the  knowledge  of  his  age. 

In  the  first  book  of  the  Iliad,  Achilles  is  represented 
as  imploring  his  goddess-mother  to  intercede  with  Jove 
in  behalf  of  her  aggrieved  son.  She  grants  his  request, 
but  tells  him  the  intercession  must  be  delayed  for 
twelve  days.  The  gods  are  absent.  They  have,  gone 
to  the  distant  climes  of  Ethiopia  to  join  in  its  festal 
rites.  ."Yesterday  Jupiter  went  to  the  feast  with  the 
blameless  Ethiopians,  away  upon  the  limits  of  the 

*  Herod  iii:  21. 


THE  ETHIOPIANS  AND  EGYPTIANS.  43 

ocean,  and  all  the  gods  followed  together."*  Homer 
never  wastes  an  epithet.  He  often  alludes  to  the 
Ethiopians  elsewhere,  and  always  in  terms  of  admira 
tion  and  praise,  as  being  the  most  just  of  men;  the 
favorites  of  the  gods.f 

The  same  allusion  glimmers  through  the  Greek 
mythology,  and  appears  in  the  verses  of  almost  all  the 
Greek  poets  ere  the  countries  of  Italy  and  Sicily  were 
even  discovered.  The  Jewish  Scripture  and  Jewish 
literature  abound  in  allusion  to  this  distinct  and  mys 
terious  people;  the  annals  of  the  Egyptian  priests  are 
full  of  them,  uniformly  the  Ethiopians  are  there 
lauded  as  among  the  best,  most  religious,  and  most 
civilized  of  men  4 

Let  us  pause  here  one  moment,  and  follow  the  march 
of  civilization  into  Europe.  Wherever  its  light  has 
once  burned  clearly,  it  has  been  diffused,  but  not  extin 
guished.  Every  one  knows  that  Rome  got  her  civili 
zation  from  Greece;  that  Greece  again  borrowed  hers 
from  Egypt,  that  thence  she  derived  her  earliest 
science  and  the  forms  of  her  beautiful  mythology. 

The  mythology  of  Homer  is  evidently  hieroglyph- 
ical  in.  its  origin,  and  has  strong  marks  of  family 
resemblance  to  the  symbolical  worship  of  Egypt. 

It  descended  the  Kile;  it  spread  over  the  delta 
of  that  river,  as  it  came  down  from  Thebes,  the  won 
derful  city  of  a  hundred  gates.  Thebes,  as  every 
scholar  knows,  is  more  ancient  than  the  cities  of  the 

*  Iliad  II :  423. 
f  Iliad  XXIII. 

I  Chron.  xiv  :  9  ;  x\i :  8  ;  Isaiah  xlv  :  14  ;  Jeremiah  xlvi :  9  ; 
Josephus  Aut.  II ;  Heeren,  vol  I :  p.  290. 


44  THE  RISING  SON. 

delta.  The  ruins  of  the  colossal  architecture  are 
covered  over  with  hieroglyphics,  and  strewn  with  the 
monuments  of  Egyptian  mythology.  But  whence 
came  Thebes?  It  was  built  and  settled  by  colonies 
from  Ethiopia,  or  from  cities  which  were  themselves 
the  settlements  of  that  nation.  The  higher  we  ascend 
the  Nile,%he  more  ancient  are  the  ruins  on  which  we 
tread,  till  we  come  to  the  "hoary  Meroe,"  which 
Egypt  acknowledged  to  be  the  cradle  of  her  institu 
tions. 

But  Meroe  was  the  queenly  city  of  Ethiopia,  into 
which  all  Africa  poured  its  caravans  laden  with 
ivory,  frankincense,  and  gold.  So  it  is  that  we  trace 
the  light  of  Ethiopian  civilization  first  into  Egypt, 
thence  into  Greece,  and  Rome,  whence,  gathering  new 
splendor  on  its  Avay,  it  hath  been  diffusing  itself  all 
the  world  over.* 

We  now  come  to  a  consideration  of  the  color  of  the 
Ethiopians,  that  distinguish  their  descendants  of  the 
present  time  in  such  a  marked  manner  from  the  rest 
of  the  human  race. 

Adam,  the  father  of  the  human  family,  took  his 
name  from  the  color  of  the  earth  from  which  he  was 
made.f 

The  Bible  says  but  little  with  regard  to  the  color  of 
the  various  races  of  man,  and  absolutely  nothing  as  to 
the  time  when  or  the  reasons  why  these  varieties  were 
introduced.  There  are  a  few  passages  in  which  color 
is  descriptive  of  the  person  or  the  dress.  Job  said, 
4 'My  skin  is  black  upon  me."  Job  had  been  sick  for 

*  E.  H.  Sears,  in  the  "  Christian  Examiner,"  July,  1846. 
t  Josephus  Aut.,  Vol.  I :  p.  8. 


THE  ETHIOPIANS  AND  EGYPTIANS.  45 

a  long  time,  and  uo  doubt  this  brought  about  a  change 
in  his  complexion.  In  Lamentations,  it  is  said,  "Their 
visage  is  blacker  than  a  coal;"  also,  "our  skin  was 
blacker  than  an  oven."  Both  of  these  writers,  in  all 
probability,  had  reference  to  the  change  of  color  pro 
duced  by  the  famine.  Another  writer  says,  "I  am 
black,  but  comely."  This  may  have  been  a  shepherd, 
and  lying  much  in  the  sun  might  have  caused  the 
change. 

However,  we  now  have  the  testimony  of  one  whom  we 
clearly  understand,  and  which  is  of  the  utmost  import 
ance  in  settling  this  question.  Jeremiah  asks,  "Can 
the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin,  or  the  leopard  his 
spots?"  This  refers  to  a  people  whose  color  is  pe 
culiar,  fixed,  and  unalterable.  Indeed,  Jeremiali  seems 
to  have  been  as  well  satisfied  that  the  Ethiopian  was 
colored,  as  he  was  tliat  the  leopard  had  spots-;  and 
that  the  one  was  as  indelible  as  the  other.  The  Ger 
man  translation  of  Luther  has  "Negro-land,"  for 
Ethiopia,  i.  e.9  the  country  of  the  blacks. 

All  reliable  history  favors  the  belief  that  the  Ethio 
pians  descended  from  Gush,  the  eldest  son  of  Ham, 
who  settled  first  in  Shina  in  Asia.  Eusebius  informs 
us  that  a  colony  of  Asiatic  (Jushites  settled  in  that 
part  of  Africa  which  has  since  been  known  as  Ethio 
pia  proper.  Josephus  asserts  that  these  Ethiopians 
were  descended  from  Gush,  and  that  in  his  time  they 
were  still  called  Cushites  by  themselves  and  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Asia.  Homer  divides  the  Ethiopians 
into  two  parts,  and  Strabo,  the  geographer,  asserts 
that  the  dividing  line  to  which  he  alluded  was  the  Red 
Sea.  The  Cushites  emigrated  in  part  to  the  west  of 
the  Red  Sea;  these,  remaining  unmixed  with  other 


46  THE  RISING    SON. 

races,  engrossed  the  general  name  of  Cushite,  or 
Ethiopian,  while  the  Asiatic  Cushites  became  largely 
mingled  with  other  nations,  and  are  nearly  or  quite 
absorbed,  or,  as  a  distinct  people  well-nigh  extinct. 
Hence,  from  the  allusion  of  Jeremiah  to  the  skin  of 
the  Ethiopian,  confirmed  and  explained  by  such  au 
thorities  as  Homer,  Strabo,  Herodotus,  Josephus,  and 
Eusebius,  'we  conclude  that  the  Ethiopians  were  an 
African  branch  of  the  Cushites  who  settled  first  in 
Asia.  Ethiop,  in  the  Greek,  means  "sunburn,"  and 
there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  that  these  people, 
in  and  around  Meroe,  took  their  color  from  the  cli 
mate.  This  theory  does  not  at  all  conflict  with  that 
of  the  common  origin  of  man.  Although  the  descend 
ants  of-  Gush  were  black,  it  does  not  follow  that  all 
the  offspring  of  Ham  were  dark-skinned;  but  only 
those  who  settled  in  a  climate  that  altered  their  color. 

The  word  of  God  by  his  servant  Paul  has  settled 
forever  the  question  of  the  equal  origin  of  the  human 
races,  and  it  will  stand  good  against  all  scientific  re 
search.  "God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  the  nations 
of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth." 

The  Ethiopians  arc  not  constitutionally  different 
from  the  rest  of  the  human  family,  and  therefore,  'we 
must  insist  upon  unity,  although  we  see  and  admit 
the  variety. 

Some  writers  have  endeavored  to  account  for  this 
difference  of  color,  by  connecting  it  with  the  curse 
pronounced  upon  Cain.  This  theory,  however,  has  no 
foundation;  for  if  Cain  was  the  progenitor  of  Noah, 
and  if  Cain's  new  peculiarities  were  perpetuated, 
then,  as  Noah  was  the  father  of  the  woild's  new  popu 
lation,  the  question  would  be,  not  how  to  account  for 


THE    ETHIOPIANS    AND   EGYPTIANS.  47 

any  of  the  human  family  being  black,  but  how  can  we 
account  for  any  being  white  ?  All  this  speculation  as 
to  the  change  of  Cain's  color,  as  a  theory  for  account 
ing  for  the  variety  peculiar  to  Gush  and  the  Ethio 
pians,  falls  to  the  ground  when  we  trace  back  the 
genealogy  of  Noah,  and  find  that  he  descended  not 
from  Cain,  but  from  Beth. 

Of  course  Cain's  descendants,  no  matter  what  their 
color,  became  extinct  at  the  flood.  No  miracle  was 
needed  in  Ethiopia  to  bring  about  a  change  in  the 
color  of  its  inhabitants.  The  very  fact  that  the  na 
tion  derived  its  name  from  the  climate  should  be 
enough  to  satisfy  the  most  skeptical.  What  was  true 
of  the  Ethiopians  was  also  true  of  the  Egyptians, 
with  regard  to  color;  for  Herodotus  tells  us  that  the 
latter  were  colored  and  had  curled  hair. 

The  vast  increase  of  the  population  of  Ethiopia,  and 
a  wish  of  its  rulers  to  possess  more  territory,  in 
duced  them  to  send  expeditions  down  the  Nile,  and 
towards  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Some 
of  these  adventurers,  as  early  as  B.  C.  885,  took 
up  their  abode  on  the  Mediterranean  coast,  and  founded 
the  place  which  in  later  years  became  the  great  city 
of  Carthage.  Necho,  king  of  Egypt,  a  man  distin 
guished  for  his  spirit  of  enterprise,  sent  an  expedi 
tion  (B.  C.  616)  around  the  African  coast.  He  em 
ployed  Phoeneciau  navigators.  This  fleet  sailed  down 
the  Red  Sea,  passed  the  straits  of  Balel-Mandeb,  and, 
coasting  the  African  continent,  discovered  the  passage 
around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  two  thousand  years  be 
fore  its  re-discovery  by  Dias  and  Vasco  de  Gama.  This 
expedition  was  three  years  in  its  researches,  and  while 
gone,  got  out  of  food,  lauded,  planted  corn,  and 


48  THE   RISING   SON. 

* 

waited  for  the  crop.  After  harvesting  the  grain,  they 
proceeded  on  their  voyage.  The  fleet  returned  to  Egypt 
through  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  the  straits  of  Gibralter, 
and  the  Mediterranean. 

The  glowing  accounts  brought  back  by  the  returned 
navigators  of  the  abundance  of  fruits,  vegetables,  and 
the  splendor  of  the  climate  of  the  new  country,  kin 
dled  the  fire  of  adventurous  enthusiasm  in  the  Ethi 
opians,  and  they  soon  followed  the  example  set  them 
by  the  Egyptians.  Henceforward,  streams  of  emi 
grants  were  passing  over  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  that 
high  road  to  Africa,  who  became  permanent  residents 
of  the  promised  land. 


CHAPTER  II. 

» 

THE    CARTHAGINIANS. 

ALTHOUGH  it  is  claimed  in  history  that  Carthage  was 
settled  by  the  Phcenecians,  or  emigrants  from  Tyre, 
it  is  by  no  means  an  established  fact;  for  when  Dido 
fled  from  her  haughty  and  tyrannical  brother,  Pyg 
malion,  ruler  of  Tyre,  and  sailing  down  the  Kile, 
seeking  a  place  of  protection,  she  halted  at  Carthage, 
then  an  insignificant  settlement  on  a  peninsula  in  the 
interior  of  a  large  bay,  now  called  the  gulf  of  Tunis, 
on  the  northern  shore  of  Africa  (this  was  B.  C. 
880),  the  population  was  made  up  mainly  of  poor 
people,  the  larger  portion  of  whom  were  from  Ethi 
opia,  and  the  surrounding  country.  Many  outlaws, 
murderers,  highwaymen,  and  pirates,  had  taken  refuge 
in  the  new  settlement.  Made  up  of  every  conceivable 
shade  of  society,  with  but  little  character  to  lose,  the 
Carthaginians  gladly  welcomed  Dido,  coming  as  she 
did  from  the  royal  house  of  Tyre,  and  they  adopted 
her  as  the  head  of  their  government.  The  people  be 
came  law-abiding,  and  the  constitution  which  they 
adopted  was  considered  by  the  ancients  as  a  pattern  of 
political  wisdom.  Aristotle  highly  praises  .it  as  a 
4 


50  THE  RISING   SOX. 

model  to  other  States.  He  informs  us  that  during  the 
space  of  five  centuries,  that  is,  from  the  foundation  of 
the  republic  down  to  his  own  time,  no  tyrant  had 
overturned  the  liberties  of  the  State,  and  no  demagogue 
had  stirred  up  the  people  to  rebellion*  By  the  wis 
dom  of  its  laws,  Carthage  had  been  able  to  avoid  the 
opposite  evils  of  aristocracy  on  the  one  hand,  and 
democracy  on  the  other.  The  nobles  did  not  engross 
trie  whole  of  the  power,  as  was  the  case  in  Sparta, 
Corinth,  and  Rome,  and  in  more  modern  times,  in  Yen- 
ice;  nor  did  the  people  exhibit  the  factious  spirit  of 
an  Athenian  mob,  or  the  ferocious  cruelty  of  a  Roman 
rabble. 

After  the  tragical  death  of  the  Princess  Dido,  the 
head  of  the  government  consisted  of  the  suffetes,  two 
chief  magistrates,  somewhat  resembling  the  consuls 
of  Rome,  who  presided  in  the  senate,  and  whose  au 
thority  extended  to  military  as  well  as  civil  affairs. 
These  officers  appeared  to  be  entirely  devoted  to  the 
good  of  the  State  and  the  welfare  of  the  peorle. 

The  second  was  the  senate  itself,  composed  of 
illustrious  men  of  the  State.  This  body  made  the  laws, 
declared  war,  negotiated  peace,  and  appointed  to  all 
offices,  civil  and  military.  The  third  erstate  was  btill 
more  popular.  In  the  infancy  and  maturity  of  the 
republic,  the  people  had  taken  no  active  part  in  the 
government;  but,  at  a  later  period,  influenced  by 
wealth  and  prosperity,  they  advanced  their  claims  to 
authority,  and,  before  loug,  obtained  nearly  the  whole 
power.  They  instituted  a  council,  designed  as  a  check 
upon  the  nobles  and  the  senate.  This  council  was  at 
first  very  beneficial  to  the  State,  but  afterwards  became 
itself  tyrannical. 


THE    CARTHAGINIANS.  51 

The  Carthaginians  were  an  enterprising  people,  and 
in  the  course  of  time  built  ships,  and  with  them  ex 
plored  all  ports  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  visiting  the 
nations  on  the  coast,  purchasing  their  commodities, 
and  selling  them  to  others.  Their  navigators  went  to 

O  V— ' 

the  coast  of  Guinea,  and  even  advanced  beyond  the 
mouths  of  the  Senegal  and  the  Gambia.  The  Cartha 
ginians  carried  their  commerce  into  Spain,  seized  a 
portion  of  that  country  containing  mines  rich  with 
gold,  and  built  thereon  a  city  which  they  called  ^ew 
Carthage,  and  which  to  the  present  day  is  known 
as  Carthaginia. 

The  Mediterranean  was  soon  covered  with  their  fleets, 
and  at  a  time  when  Rome  could  not  boast  of  a  single 
vessel,  and  her  citizens  were  entirely  ignorant  of  the 
form  of  a  ship.  The  Carthaginians  conquered  Sar 
dinia,  and  a  great  part  of  Sicily.  Their  powerful 
fleets  iind  extensive  conquests  gave  them  the  sovereign 
command  of  the  seas. 

While  Carthage  possessed  the  dominion  of  the  seas, 
a  rival  State  was  growing  up  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Mediterranean,  distant  about  seven  hundred  miles, 
under  whose  arms  she  was  destined  to  fall.  This  was 
Rome,  the  foundation  of  which  was  commenced  one 
hundred  years  after  that  of  Cartilage.  These  two 
powerful  nations  engaged  in  wars  against  each  other 
that  lasted  nearly  two  hundred  years.  In  these  con 
flicts  the  Carthaginians  showed  great  bravery. 

In  the  first  Punic  war,  the  defeat  and  capture  of 
Regulus,  the  Roman  general,  by  the  Carthaginians, 
and  their  allies,  the  Greeks,  humiliated  the  Romans, 
and  for  a  time  gave  the  former  great  advantage  over 
the  latter.  The  war,  however,  which  lasted  twenty- 


52  THE   RISING ' 

four  years,  was  concluded  by  some  agreement,  which 
after  all,  was  favorable  to  the  Romans.  The  conclusion 
of  the  first  Punic  war  (B.  C.  249)  was  not  satis 
factory  to  the  more  republican  portion  of  the  ruling 
spirits  among  the  Carthaginians,  and  especially  Ham- 
ilcar,  the  father  of  Hannibal,  who,  at  that  time  occu 
pied  a  very  prominent  position,  both  on  account  of  his 
rank,  wealth,  and  high  family  connections  at  Carthage; 
also  on  account  of  the  great  military  energy  which  he 
displayed  in  the  command  of  the  armies  abroad.  Hamil- 
car  had  carried  on  the  wars  which  the  Carthaginians 
waged  in  Africa  and  Spain  after  the  conclusion  of  the 

O  •  A 

war  with  the  Romans,  and  he  wajs  anxious  to  begin 
hostilities  with  the  Romans  again.  On  Hamilcar's 
leaving  Carthage  the  last  time  to  join  his  army  in 
Spain,  he  took  his  son  Hannibal,  then  a  boy  of  nine 
years,  and  made  him  swear  on  the  altar  of  his  country 
eternal  hatred  to  the  Romans,  an  oath  that  he  kept 
to  the  day  of  his  death. 

When  not  yet  twenty  years  of  age,  Hannibal  was 
placed  second  in  command  of  the  army,  then  in  Spain, 
where  he  at  once  attracted  the  attention  and  the  admir 
ation  of  all,  by  the  plainness  of  his  living,  his  absti 
nence  from  strong  drink,  and  the  gentlemanly  treat 
ment  that  he  meted  out  to  the  soldiers,  as  well  as  his 
fellow-officers. 

He  slept  in  his  military  cloak  on  the  ground,  in 
the  midst  of  his  soldiers  on  guard;  and  in  a  battle  he 
was  always  the  last  to  leave  the  field  after  a  fight,  as 
he  was  foremost  to  press  forward  in  every  contest 
with  the  enemy.  The  death  of  Hasdrubal  placed 
Hannibal  in  supreme  command  of  the  army,  and  in 
heriting  his  father's  hatred  to  Rome,  he  resolved  to  take 


THE    CAETHAGLNIANS.  53 

revenge  upon  his  ancient  enemy,  and  at  once  invaded 
the  Roman  possessions  in  Spain,  and  laid  siege  to  the 
city  of  Saguntinn,  which,  after  heroic  resistance, 
yielded  to  his  victorious  arms.  Thus  commenced  the 
second  Punic  war,  in  which  Hannibal  was  to  show  to 
the  world  his  genius  as  a  general. 

Leaving  a  large  force  in  Africa,  and  also  in  Spain, 
to  defend  these  points,  Hannibal  set  out  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  B.  C.  218,  with  a  large  army  to  fulfill  his 
project  against  Rome. 

His  course  lay  along  the  Mediterranean;  the  whole 
distance  to  Rome  being  about  one  thousand  miles  by 
the  land  route  which  he  contemplated.  When  he 
had  traversed  Spain,  he  came  to  the  Pyrenees,  a 
range  of  mountains  separating  that  country  from 
Gaul,  now  France.  He  was  here  attacked  by  wild 
tribes  of  brave  barbarians,  but  he  easily  drove  them 
back.  He  crossed  the  Pyrenees,  traversed  Gaul,  and 
came  at  last  to  the  Alps,  which  threw  up  their 
frowning  battlements,  interposing  a  formidable  obsta- 

O  *  JL  O 

cle  between  him  and  the  object  of  his  expedition. 

No  warrior  had  then  crossed  these  snowy  peaks  with 
such  an  army;  and  none  but  a  man  of  that  degree  of 
resolution  and  self-reliance  which  could  not  be  baffled, 
would  have  hazarded  the  fearful  enterprise.  Indeed, 
we  turn  with  amazement  to  Hannibal's  passage  of 
the  Alps;  that  great  and  daring  feat  surpasses  in  mag 
nitude  anything  of  the  kind  ever  attempted  by  man. 
The  pride  of  the  French  historians  have  often  led 
them  to  compare  Napoleon's  passage  of  the  Great  St. 
Bernard  to  Hannibal's  passage  of  the  Alps;  but  without 
detracting  from  the  well-earned  fame  of  the  French 
Emperor,  it  may  safely  be  affirmed  that  his  achieve- 


54  THE  RISING  SOX. 

merits  will  bear  no  comparison  whatever  with  the 
Carthaginian  IICTO.  When  Napoleon  began  the  ascent 
of  the  Alps  from  Martigny,  on  the  shores  of  the  Rhone, 
and  above  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  he  found  the  passage 
of  the  mountains  cleared  by  the  incessant  transit  of  two 
thousand  years.  The  road,  impracticable  for  carriages, 
was  very  good  for  horsemen  and  foot  passengers,  and 
was  traversed  by  great  numbers  of  both  at  every  sea 
son  of  the  year. 

Comfortable  villages  on  the  ascent  and  descent  af 
forded  easy  accommodation  to  the  wearied  soldiers  by 
day  and  by  night;  the  ample  stores  of  the  monks  at 
the  summit,  and  the  provident  foresight  of  the  French 
generals  had  provided  a  meal  for  every  man  and  horse 
that  passed.  No  hostile  troops  opposed  their  pas 
sage;  the  guns  were  drawn  up  in  sleds  made  of  hol 
lowed  firs;  and  in  four  days  from  the  time  they  began 
the  ascent  from  the  banks  of  the  Rhone,  the  French 
troops,  without  losing  a  man,  stood  on  the  Doria  Bal- 
tea,  tho  increasing  waters  of  which  flowed  towards 
the  Po,  amidst  the  gardens  and  vineyards,  and  under 
the  sun  of  Italy.  But  the  case  was  very  different 
when  Hannibal  crossed  from  the  shores  x)f  the  Dur 
ance  to  the  banks  of  the  Po. 

The  mountain  sides,  which  had  not  yet  been  cleared 
by  centuries  of  laborious  industry,  presented  a  contin 
ual  forest,  furrowed  at  every  hollow  by  headlong 
Alpine  torrents.  There  were  no  bridges  to  cross  the 
perpetually  recurring  obstacles;  provisions,  scanty  at 
all  times  in  those  elevated  solitudes,  were  then  nowhere 
to  be  found,  having  been  hidden  away  by  the  natives, 
and  a  powerful  army  of  mountaineers  occupied  the  .en 
trance  of  the  defiles,  defended  with  desperate  valor  the 


THE    CARTHAGINIANS.  55 

• 

gates  of  their  country,  and  when  dispersed  by  the  supe 
rior  discipline  and  arms  of  Hannibal's  soldiers,  still 
beset  the  ridges  about  their  line  of  march,  and  harassed 
his  troops  \vith  continual  hostility.  When  the  woody 
region  was  passed,  and  the  vanguard  emerged  in  the 
open  mountain  pastures,  which  led  to  the  verge  of 
perpetual  snow,  fresh  difficulties  awaited  them. 

The  turf,  from  the  gliding  down  of  the  newly-fallen 
snow  on  those  steep  declivities,  was  so  slippery  that 
it  was  often  scarcely  possible  for  the  men  to  keep  their 
feet;  the  beasts  of  burden  lost  their  footing  at  every 
step,  and  rolled  down  in  great  numbers  into  the  abyss 
beneath;  the  elephants  became  restive  amidst  privation 
and  a  climate  to  which  they  were  totally  unaccus 
tomed;  and  the  strength  of  the  soldiers,  worn  out- by 
incessant  marching  and  fighting,  began  to  sink  before 
the  continued  toil  of  the  ascent.  Horrors  formidable 
to  all,  but  in  an  especial  manner  terrible  to  African 
soldiers,  awaited  them  at  the  summit. 

It  was  the  end  of  October;  winter  in  all  its  severity 
had  already  set  in  on  those  lofty  solitudes;  the  moun 
tain  sides,  silent  and  melancholy  even  at  the  height  of 
summer,  when  enameled  with  flowers  and  dotted  with 
flocks,  presented  then  an  unbroken  sheet  of  snow;  the 
lakes  which  were  interspersed  over  the  level  valley 
at  their  feet,  were  frozen  over  and  undistiuguishable 
from  the  rest  of  the  dreary  expanse,  and  a  boundless 
mass  of  snowy  peaks  arose  at  all  sides,  presenting 
an  apparently  impassable  barrier  to  their  further  prog 
ress.  But  it  was  then  that  the  genius  of  Hannibal 
shono  forth  in  all  its  lustre. 

."The  great  general,"  says  Arnold,  "who  felt  that  he 
now  stood  victorious  on  the  ramparts  of  Italy,  and  that 


56  THE  RISING  SON. 

the  torrent  which  rolled  before  him  was  carrying  its 
waters  to  the  rich  plains  of  cisalpine  Gaul,  endeavored 
to  kindle  his  soldiers  with  his  own  spirit  of  hope.  He 
called  them  together ;  he  pointed  out  to  them  the  val 
ley  beneath,  to  which  the  descent  seemed  but  the 
work  of  a  moment. 

"That  valley,"  said  he,  "is  Italy;  it  leads  to  the 
country  of  our  friends,  the  Gauls,  and  yonder  is  our 
way  to  Rome."  His  eyes  were  eagerly  fixed  on  that 
parf  of  the  horizon,  and  as  he  gazed,  the  distance 
seemed  to  vanish,  till  he  could  almost  fancy  he  was 
crossing  the  Tiber,  and  assailing  the  capital.  Such 
were  the  difficulties  of  the  passage  and  the  descent 
on  the  other  side,  that  Hannibal  lost  thirty-three 
thousand  men  from  the  time  he  entered  the  Pyrenees 
till  he  reached  the  plains  of  Northern  Italy,  and  he 
arrived  on  the  Po  with  only  twelve  thousand  Africans, 
eight  thousand  Spanish  infantry,  and  six  thousand 
horse. 

Then  followed  those  splendid  battles  with  the 
Romans,  which  carried  consternation  to  their  capital, 
and  raised  the  great  general  to  the  highest  pinnacle  in 
the  niche  of  military  fame. 

The  defeat  of  Scipio,  at  the  battle  of  Ticinus,  the 
utter  rout  and  defeat  of  Sempronius,  the  defeat  of 
Flaminius,  the  defeat  of  Fabius,  and  the  battle  of 
Cannse,  in  the  last  of  which,  the  Romans  had  seventy- 
six  thousand  foot,  eight  thousand  horse,  and  many 
chariots,  and  where  Hannibal  had  only  thirty  thousand 
troops,  all  told,  and  where  the  defeat  was  so  complete 
that  bushels  of  gold  rings  were  taken  from  the  fingers 
of  the  dead  Romans,  and  sent  as  trophies  to  Car 
thage,  are  matters  of  history,  and  will  ever  give  to 


THE   CARTHAGINIANS.  57 

Hannibal  the  highest  position  in  the  scale  of  ancient 
military  men.  Hannibal  crossed  the  Alps  two  hun 
dred  and  seventeen  years  before  the  Christian  Era, 
and  remained  in  Italy  sixteen  years.  At  last,  Scipio,  a 
Roman  general  of  the  same  name  of  the  one  defeated 
by  Hannibal  at  Ticinus,  finished  the  war  in  Spain, 
transported  his  troops  across  the  Mediterranean;  thus 
''carrying  the  war  into  Africa,"  and  giving  rise  to  an 
expression  still  in  vogue,  and  significant  of  effective 
retaliation.  By  the  aid  of  Masinissa,  a  powerful 
prince  of  Nuinidia,  now  Morocco,  he  gained  two  vic 
tories  over  the  Carthaginians,  who  were  obliged  to 
recall  Hannibal  from  Italy,  to  defend  their  own  soil 
from  the  combined  attacks  of  the  Romans  and  Numid- 
ians. 

He  landed  at  Leptis,  and  advanced  near  Zama,  five 
days'  journey  to  the  west  of  Carthage.  Here  he  met 
the  Roman  forces,  and  here,  for  the  first  time,  he  suf 
fered  a  total  defeat.  The  loss  of  the  Carthaginians 
was  immense,  and  they  were  compelled  to  sue  for 
peace.  This  was  granted  by  Scipio,  but  upon  humil 
iating  terms. 

Hannibal  would  still  have  resisted,  but'he  was  com 
pelled  by  his  countrymen  to  submit.  Thus  ended  the 
second  Punic  war  (B.  C.  200),  having  continued 
about  eighteen  years. 

By  this  war  with  the  Romans,  the  Carthaginians  lost 
most  of  their  colonies,  and  became  in  a  measure,  a 
Roman  province.  Notwithstanding  his  late  reverses, 
Hannnibal  entered  the  Carthaginian  senate,  and  contin 
ued  at  the  head  of  the  state,  reforming  abuses  that  had 
crept  into  the  management  of  the  finances,  and  the 
administration  of  justice.  But  these  judicious  reforms 


58  THE  RISING  SON. 

provoked  the  enmity  of  the  factious  nobles  who  had 
hitherto  been  permitted  to  fatten  on  public  plunder; 
they  joined  with  the  old  rivals  of  the  Barcan  family, 
of  which  Hannibal  was  now  the  acknowledged  head,  and 
even  degraded  themselves  so  far  as  to  act  as  spies  for 
the  Romans,  who  still  dreaded  the  abilities  of  the 
great  general. 

In  consequence  of  their  machinations,  the  old  hero 
was  forced  to  fly  from  the  country  he  had  so  long 
labored  to  serve;  and  after  several  vicissitudes,  died 
of  poison,  to  escape  the  mean  and  malignant  persecu 
tion  of  the  Romans  whose  hatred  followed  him  in  his 
exile,  and  compelled  the  king  of  Bithynia  to  refuse 
him  protection.  The  mound  which  marks  his  last 
resting-place  is  still  a  remarkable  object. 

Hannibal,  like  the  rest  of  the  Carthaginians,  though 
not  as  black  as  the  present  African  population,  was 
nevertheless,  colored;  not  differing  in  complexion 
from  the  ancient  Ethiopians,  and  with  curly  hair.  We 
have  but  little  account  of  this  wonderful  man  except 
from  his  enemies,  the  Romans,  and  nothing  from  them 
but  his  public  career.  Prejudiced  as  are  these  sources 
of  evidence,  they  still  exhibit  him  as  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  men  that  have  ever  lived. 

Many  of  the  events  of  his  life  remind  us  of  the  career 
of  Napoleon.  Like  him,  he  crossed  the  Alps  with  a 
great  army;  like  him,  he  was  repeatedly  victorious 
over  disciplined  and  powerful  forces  in  Italy;  like 
him,  he  was  finally  overwhelmed  in  a  great  battle; 
like  him,  he  was  a  statesman,  as  well  as  a  general; 
like  him,  he  was  the  idol  of  the  army;  like  him,  he 
was  finally  driven  from  his  country,  and  died  in  exile.* 

*  "Famous  Men  of  Ancient  Times,"  p.  154. 


THE    CARTHAGINIANS.  59 

Yet,  no  one  of  Napoleon's  achievements  was  equal  to 
that  of  Hannibal  in  crossing  the  Alps,  if  we  consider 
the  difficulties  he  had  to  encounter;  nor  has  anything 
in  generalship  surpassed  the  ability  he  displayed  in 
sustaining  himself  and  his  army  for  sixteen  years  in 
Italy,  in  the  face  of  Rome,  and  without  asking  for 
assistance  from  his  own  country. 

"VVe  now  pass  to  the  destruction  of  Carthage,  and  the 
dispersion  of  its  inhabitants.  Fifty  years  had  inter 
vened  since  Hannibal  with  his  victorious  legions  stood 
at  the  gates  of  Rome ;  the  Carthaginian  territory  had 
been  greatly  reduced,  the  army  had  witnessed  many 
changes,  Hannibal  and  his  generals  were  dead,  and  a 
Roman  army  under  Scipio,  flushed  with  victory  and 
anxious  for  booty,  were  at  the  gates  of  Carthage. 

For  half  a  century  the  Carthaginians  had  faithfully 
kept  all  their  humiliating  treaties  with  the  Romans; 
borne  patiently  the  insults  and  arrogance  of  Masinissa, 
king  of  ftumidia,  whose  impositions  on  Carthage  were 
always  upheld  by  the  strong  arm  of  Rome;  at  last, 
however,  a  serious  difficulty  arose  between  Carthage 
and  Nnmidia,  for  the  settlement  of  which  the  Roman 
senate  dispatched  commissioners  to  visit  the  contending 
parties  and  report. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Carthaginians,  one  of  these 
commissioners  was  Cato  the  elder,  who  had  long  enter 
tained  a  determined  hatred  to  Carthago.  Indeed,  he 
had,  for  the  preceding  twenty  years,  scarcely  ever  made 
a  speech  without  closing  with, — "Delenda  est  Car 
thago." — Carthage  must  be  destroyed.  Animated  by 
this  spirit,  it  can  easily  be  imagined  that  Cato  would 
give  the  weight  of  his  influence  against  the  Car 
thaginians  ID  everything  touching  their  interest. 


60  THE  RISING  SON. 

While  inspecting  the  great  city,  Cato  was  struck  wit! 
its  magnificence  and  remaining  wealth,  which  strength 
ened  him  in  the  opinion  that  the  ultimate  success  o 
Borne  depended  upon  the  destruction  of  Carthage;  am 
he  labored  to  bring  about  that  result. 

Scipio  demanded  that  Carthage  should  deliver  up  a! 
its  materials  of  war  as  a  token  of  submission,  whicl 
demand  was  complied  with ;  and  the  contents  of  thei: 
magazines,  consisting  of  two  hundred  thousand  com 
plcte  suits  of  armor,  two  thousand  catapults,  and  ai 
immense  number  of  spears,  swords,  bows  and  arrows 
Having  disarmed  themselves,  they  waited  to  hear  th< 
final  sentence.  The  next  demand  was  for  the  deliver] 
of  the  navy;  this  too  was  complied  with.  It  was  thei 
announced  that  the  city  was  to  be  razed  to  the  ground 
the  inhabitants  sent  elsewhere  for  a  residence,  anc 
that  the  Carthaginian  name  was  to  be  blotted  out 
Just  then  the  navy,  the  largest  in  the  world,  contain 
ing  vessels  of  great  strength  and  beauty,  was  set  or 
fire,  the  flames  of  which  lighted  up  with  appalling 
effect  the  coast  forty  miles  around. 

The  destruction  of  this  fleet,  the  naval  accumula 
tion  of  five  centuries,  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  pride 
of  the  conquered  Carthaginians,  and  taking  courage 
from  despair,  they  closed  the  gates  of  the  city,  aiic 
resolved  that  they  would  fight  to  the  last. 

As  in  all  commonwealths,  there  were  two  political 
parties  in  Carthage,  struggling  for  the  ascendency; 
one,  republican,  devoted  to  the  liberty  of  the  people 
and  the  welfare  of  the  State ;  the  other,  conservative 
in  its  character,  and  in  favor  of  Roman  rule.  It  was 
this  last  party  that  had  disarmed  the  State  at  the 
bidding  of  the  Roman  invaders;  and  now  that  the 


THE    CARTHAGINIANS.  61 

people  bad  risen,  the  conservatives  who  could,  fled 
from  the  city,  to  escape  the  indignation  of  the  masses. 

Unarmed  and  surrounded  by  an  army  of  one  hun 
dred  thousand  men,  resistance  seemed  to  be  madness; 
yet  they  resisted  with  a  heroism  that  surprised  and 
won  the  esteem  of  their  hard-hearted  conquerors. 

Everything  was  done  to  repair  the  damage  already 
sustained  by  the  surrender  of  their  navy  and  muni 
tions  of  war.  The  pavements  of  the  streets  were  torn 
up,  houses  demolished,  and  statues  broken  to  pieces  to 
obtain  stones  for  weapons,  which  were  carried  upon 
the  ramparts  for  defence.  Everybody  that  could 
work  at  a  forge  was  employed  in  manufacturing  swords, 
spear-heads,  pikes,  and  such  other  weapons  as  could 
be  made  with  the  greatest  facility  and  dispatch.  They 
used  all  the  iron  and  brass  that  could  be  obtained, 
then  melted  down  vases,  statues,  and  the  precioas 
metals,  and  tipped  their  spears  with  an  inferior  point 
ing  of  silver  and  gold. 

When  the  supply  of  hemp  and  twine  for  cordage 
for  their  bows  had  failed,  the  young  maidens  cut  off 
their  hair,  and  twisted  and  braided  it  into  cords  to  be 
used  as  bow-strings  for  propelling  the  arrows  which 
their  husbands  and  brothers  made.  Nothing  in  the 
history  of  war,  either  ancient  or  modern,  will  bear  a 
comparison  with  this,  the  last  struggle  of  the  Cartha 
ginians.  The  siege  thus  begun  was  carried  on  more 
than  two  years;  the  people,  driven  to  the  last  limit  of 
human  endurance,  had  aroused  themselves  to  a  hope 
less  resistance  in  a  sort  of  frenzy  of  despair,  and 
fought  with  a  courage  and  a  desperation  that  compelled 
the  Romans  to  send  home  for  more  troops* 

Think  of  a  walled   city,   thirty   miles   in   circum- 


62  THE  RISING   SON. 

ferencc,  with  a  population  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  souls,  men,  women,  and  children,  living 
on  limited  fare,  threatened  with  starvation,  and  sur 
rounded  by  the  sick,  the  dying,  and  the  dead! 

Even  in  this  condition,  so  heroic  were  the  Cartha 
ginians,  that  they  repulsed  the  Romans,  sent  fireships 
against  the  invaders'  fleet,  burned  their  vessels,  and 
would  have  destroyed  the  Roman  army,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  skill  of  Scipio,  who  succeeded  in  cover 
ing  the  retreat  of  the  Roman  legions  with  a  body  of 
cavalry. 

On  the  arrival  of  fresh  troops  from  Rome,  the  siege 
was  renewed;  and  after  a  war  of  three  years,  famine 
reduced  the  population  to  a  little  more  than  fifty 
thousand. 

The  overpowering  army  of  Scipio  finally  succeeded 
in  breaking  through  the  gates,  and  gaining  admission 
into  the  city;  the  opposing  forces  fought  from  street 
to  street,  the  Carthaginians  retreating  as  the  Romans 

'  O  O 

advanced.  One  band  of  the  enemy's  soldiers  mounted 
to  the  tops  of  the  houses,  the  roofs  of  which  were 
flat,  and  fought  their  way  there,  while  another  column 
moved  around  to  cut  off  retreat  to  the  citadel.  No 
imagination  can  conceive  the  uproar  and  din  of  such 
an  assault  upon  a  populous  city — a  horrid  mingling 
of  the  vociferated  commands  of  the  officers,  and  the 
shouts  of  the  advancing  and  victorious  enemy,  with  the 
screams  of  terror  from  affrighted  women  and  children, 
and  the  dreadful  groans  and  imprecations  from  men 
dying  maddened  with  unsatisfied  revenge,  and  biting 
the  dust  in  agony  of  despair.* 

The  more  determined  of  the  soldiers  with  Hasdru- 


*  u 


Abbott's  History  of  Hannibal." 


THE    CARTHAGINIANS.  63 

bal,  the  Carthaginian  general  at  their  head,  together 
with  many  brave  citizens  of  both  sexes,  and  some 
Roman  deserters,  took  possession  of  the  citadel, 
which  was  in  a  strongly-fortified  section  of  the  city. 

The  Romans  advanced  to  the  walls  of  this  fortifica 
tion,  and  set  that  part  of  the  city  on  fire  that  lay  near 
est  to  it;  the  fire  burned  for  six  days.  When  the 
fire  had  ceased  burning  near  the  citadel,  the  Roman 
troops  were  brought  to  the  area  thus  left  vacant  by 
the  flames,  and  the  fight  was  renewed. 

Seeing  there  was  no  hope  of  successfully  resisting 
the  enemy,  Hasdrubal  opened  the  gates,  and  surren 
dered  to  the  Romans.  There  was,  however,  a  temple 
in  the  citadel,  capable  of  holding  ten  or  fifteen  thousand 
persons;  in  this,  many  of  the  brave  men  and  women 
took  refuse;  amons:  these  were  HasdrubaPs  wife  and 

o     »  o 

two  children.  The  gates  of  the  temple  had  scarcely  been 
closed  and  securely  barred,  ere  some  one  set  the  build 
ing  on  fire  from  within.  Half -suffocated  with  the  smoke, 
and  scorched  with  the  flames,  these  people  were  soon 
running  to  and  fro  with  the  wildest  screams;  many 
of  whom  reached  the  roof,  and  among  them,  Hasdru 
bal 's  wife. 

Looking  down  and  seeing  her  husband  standing 
amongst  the  Roman  officers,  she  loaded  him  with 
reproaches  for  what  she  conceived  to  be  his  cowardice, 
stabbed  her  children,  threw  them  into  the  flames,  and 
leaped  in  herself.  The  city  was  given  up  to  pillage, 
and  set  on  fire.  After  burning  for  seventeen  days, 
this  great  city,  the  model  of  beauty  and  magnificence, 
the  repository  of  immense  wealth,  and  one  of  the  chief 
States  of  the  ancient  world,  was  no  more.  The  de 
struction  of  Carthage,  previously  resolved  upon  in 


64  THE   RISING   SON. 

cold  blood,  after  fifty  years  of  peace,  and  withoi 
any  fresh  provocation  from  the  defenceless  people,  wl 
had  thrown  themselves  on  the  generosity  of  the 
rivals,  was  one  of  the  most  hard-hearted  and  brut 
acts  of  Roman  policy.  The  sequel  of  the  history 
Carthage  presents  a  melancholy  and  affecting  pictu 
of  the  humiliation  and  decline  of  a  proud  and  powe 
ful  State. 

Meroe,  the  chief  city,  and  fountain-head  of  tl 
Ethiopians,  was  already  fast  declining,  when  Cartha< 
fell,  and  from  that  time  forward,  the  destiny  of  th 
people  appeared  to  be  downward.  With  the  fall 
Carthage,  and  the  absorption  of  its  territory  by  Rom 
and  its  organization  into  a  Roman  province,  the  Ca 
thaginian  State  ceased.  Of  the  seven  hundred  ai 
fifty  thousand  Souls  that  Carthage  contained  at  tl 
time  that  the  Romans  laid  siege  to  the  city,  only  fif 
thousand  remained  alive  at  its  fall.  The  majority 
these,  hating  Roman  rule,  bent  their  way  towards  tl 
interior  of  Africa,  following  the  thousands  of  the 
countrymen  who  had  gone  before. 

After  Carthage  had  been  destroyed,  the  Romans  d 
everything  in  their  power  to  obliterate  every  vestige 
the  history  of  that  celebrated  people.     No  relics  are 
be  seen  of  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  ancie 
Carthage,  except   some   ruins  of   aqueducts   and   ci 
terns. 

In  the  language  of  Tasso:  — 

"  Low  lie  her  towers,  sole  relics  of  her  sway  ; 

Her  desert  shores  a  few  sad  fragments  keep  ; 
Shrines,  temples,  cities,  kingdoms,  states  decay  ; 
O'er  urns  and  arch  triumphal,  deserts  sweep 
Their  sands,  and  lions  roar,  or  ivies  creep." 


CHAPTER  III. 


EASTERN     AFRICA. 

IN  the  desert  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea, 
and  among  that  range  of  mountains  running  parallel 
•with  the  coast,  are  Hadharebe,  the  Ababdeh,  and  the 
Bishari,  three  very  ancient  tribes,  the  modern  repre 
sentatives  of  the  Ethiopians  of  Meroe.  The  language 
of  these  people,  their  features,  so  different  from  the 
Arabs,  and  the  Guinea  Negro,  together  with  their  archi 
tecture,  prove  conclusively  that  they  descended  from 
Ethiopia;  the  most  numerous  and  powerful  of  these 
tribes  being  the  Bishari. 

Leaving  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  pass 
ing  south  of  Abyssinia,  along  the  coast  of  Africa,  and 
extending  far  into  the  interior  over  rich  mountain- 

o 

plains,  is  found  the  seat  of  what  are  called  the  "Galla 

nations."     They  are  nomadic  tribes,  vast  in  numbers, 

indefinable  in  their  extent  of  territory,  full  of  fire  and 

energy,  wealthy  in   flocks   and  herds,   dark-skinned, 

woolly-haired,  and  thick-lipped. 

Passing  farther  west  into  that  vast  region  which  lies 

C_3  <_2  . 

between  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon  and  the   Great 
Desert,  extending  through  Central  Africa  even  to  the 


66  THE  RISING    SON. 

western  coast,  we  come  into  what  may  be  more  app 
priately  called  * 'Negro-land." 

It  is  a  widely-extended  region,  which  abounds 
the  arts  of  civilization.  Here  are  large  cities  c 
taining  from  ten  thousand  to  thirty  thousand  SOT 
Here  is  a  great  family  of  nations,  some  but  j 
emerging  out  of  barbarism,  some  formed  into  pi 
perous  communities,  preserving  the  forms  of  soi 
justice  and  of  a  more  enlightened  worship,  practic 
agriculture,  and  exhibiting  the  pleasing  results 
peaceful  and  productive  industry. 

Mungo  Park  gives  a  glowing  account  of  Sego, 
capital  of  Bambuwa,  a  city  containing  thirty  thousj 
inhabitants,  with  its  two-story  houses,  its  mosques  s 
in  every  quarter,  its  ferries  conveying  men  and  hoi 
over  the  Niger.     "The  view  of  this  extensive  cifr 

o  *• 

he   says,  "the  numerous   canoes  upon   the  river, 
crowded  population,  and   the  cultivated   state  of 
surrounding  country,  formed  altogether  a  prospect 
civilization  and  magnificence  which  I   little  expec 
to  find  in  the  bosom  of  Africa." 

Farther  east  he  found  a  large  and  flourishing  tc 
called  Kaffa,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  country 
beautiful  and  highly  cultivated  that  it  reminds  him 
England.  The  people  in  this  place  were  an  admixt 
of  light  brown,  dark  brown,  and  dingy  black,  apf 
ently  showing  the  influence  of  the  climate  upon  tL 
ancestors. 

The  Mountains  of  the  Moon,  as  they  terminate  ah 
the  western  coast  of  Africa,  spread  out  into  a  succ 
sion  of  mountain  plains.  These  present  three  k 
fronts  toward  the  sea,  each  surrounded  with  terrac 


EASTERN   AFRICA.  67 

declining  gradually  into  the  lowlands,  each  threaded 
with  fertilizing  streams,  itid  fanned  with  ocean  breezes. 

The  most  northern  inr  these  plateaus,  with  their 
declivities  and  plains' "orms  the  delightful  land  of 
one  of  the  most  power^  il  and  intelligent  of  the  African 
tribes,  namely,  the  Man  dingoes.  They  are  made  up  of 
shrewd  merchants  and  industrious  agriculturists;  kind, 
hospitable,  enterprising,  with  generous  dispositions, 
and  open  and  gentle  manners.  Not  far  from  the  Man- 
diugoes,  are  the  people  called  Solofs,  whom  Park  de 
scribes  as  "the  most  beautiful,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
blackest  people  in  Africa." 

But  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  people  among 
these  nations  are  the  "Fulahs,"  whose  native  seat  is  tho 
southern  part  of  the  plateaus  above  described.  Here, 
in  their  lofty  independence,  they  cultivate  the  soil,  live 
in  "clean  and  commodious  dwellings,"  feed  numerous 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and  herds  of  oxen  and  horses, 
build  mosques  for  the  worship  of  one  God,  and  open 
schools  for  the  education  of  their  children. 

Timbri,  their  capital,  is  a  military  station,  contain 
ing  nine  thousand  inhabitants,  from  wliich  their  vic 
torious  armies  have  gone  forth  and  subdued  the 
surrounding  country.  They  practice  the  mechanic  arts 
with  success,  forge  iron  and  silver,  fabricate  cloth, 
and  work  skilfully  with  leather  and  wood.  Like 
the  Anglo-Saxon,  their  capital  has  been  the  hive  whence 
colonies  have  swarmed  forth  to  form  new  settlements, 
and  extend  the  arts  of  industry;  and  the  "Fellatahs," 
an  enterprising  people  who  dwell  a  thousand  miles  in 
the  interior,  are  well  known  to  belong  to  the  same 
stock. 

There  are  many  other  nations,  or  rather,  tribes,  in 


68  THE   RISING   SON. 

this  vast  central  region,  described  by  Pritchard  more  o 
less  minutely,  variously  advfpced  in  the  arts  of  life 

and    exhibiting   various    del*  °,es    of    enterprise    an 

c 
energy. 

Passing  along  the  western  sh  ~e  southward,  we  nex 
come  to  the  coast  of  Guinea,  wn\3re  we  find  the  Negr 
in  his  worst  state  of  degradation.  Hither  comes  th 
slave-trader  for  his  wretched  cargo,  and  hence  hav 
been  exported  the  victims  of  that  horrible  commerce 
which  supplied  the  slave-marts  x>f  the  western  world 
The  demonizing  influence  of  this  traffic  on  the  chai 
acter  of  the  natives  defies  all  description. 

In  the  mountains  and  ravines  of  this  portion  c 
Africa  lurk  gangs  of  robbers,  ever  on  the  watch  to  seiz 
the  wives  and  children  of  the  neighboring  clans  and  se] 
them  to  the  traders.  Every  cornar  of  the  land  has  bee 
the  scene  of  rapine  and  blood.  Parents  sell  their  chi] 
dren,  and  children  sell  their  parents.  Such  are  th 
passions  stimulated  by  Christian  gold,  and  such  the  stat 
of  society  produced  by  contact  with  Christian  nations 
These  people,  degraded  and  unhumanized  by  th 
slaver,  are  the* progenitors  of  the  black  population  c 
the  Southern  States  of  the  American  Union. 

Still  we  are  to  observe,  that  though  the  lowest  tyjp 
of  Negro  character  is  to  be  found  on  the  Guinea  cous 
and  the  adjacent  region,  it  is  not  uniformly  degraded 
Tribes  are  to  be  found,  considerably  advanced  in  civ 
ilization,  whose  features  and  characters  resemble  thos 
of  the  central  region  which  we  have  just  described 

Passing  southward  still  farther,  and  crossing  the  line 
we  come  into  southern  Africa.  This  whole  regio] 
from  the  equator  to  the  Cape,  with  the  exception  o 
the  Hottentots,  is,  so  far  as  discovered,  occupied  fr 


EASTERN   AFRICA.  69 

what  is  called  the  "Great  South  African  Race."  They 
are  a  vast  family  of  nations,  speaking  dialects  of  the 
same  language,  furnishing  incontrovertible  evidence, 

O  O       '  O 

so  says  Pritcharcl,  of  "a  common  origin." 

There  is  one  fact,  in  reference  to  them,  of  absorb- 
iug  interest;  it  is  that  among  these  nations,  and  some 
times  among  the  same  tribe,  are  found  specimens  of 
the  lowest  Negro  type,  and  specimens  of  the  same 
type  elevated  and  transfigured  so  as  to  approximate 
far  towards  the  European  form  and  features.  Between 
these  two  there  is  every  possible  variety,  and  the  varia 
tions  depend  much  on  moral  condition  and  physical 
surroundings.  Along  the  coast  humanity  generally 
sinks  down  into  its  lowest  shapes,  and  puts  on  its  most 
disgusting  visage. 

Rising  into  the  interior,  and  climbing  the  table 
lands,  the  evidence  of  decided  improvement  generally 
appears.  Perhaps  the  most  savage  -of  these  tribes  is 
to  be  found  on  the  coast  of  Congo.  They  are  canni 
bals  of  great  ferocity  and  brutality.  But  on  the  east 
ern  coast  are  found  a  people  called  Kafirs,  some  tribes 
occupying  the  coast,  and  a  few  the  mountain  plains. 
Some 'of  these  tribes,  "whose  fine  forms  and  easy  atti 
tudes  remind  the  traveller  of  ancient  statues,"  inhabit 
large  towns  and  cities,  have  made  great  progress  in 
the  arts  of  industry,  cultivate  vast  fields  of  sugar  and 
tobacco,  manufacture  various  kinds  of  cutlery,  and 
"build  their  houses  with  masonry,  and  ornament  them 
with  pillars  and  mouldings." 

They  exhibit  fine  traits  of  intellectual  and  moral 
character.  Mixed  up  with  their  superstitions,  they 
have  some  lofty,  religious  ideas;  believe  in  the  immor 
tality  of  the  soul,  in  a  Supreme  Being,  whom  they  call 


70  THE  RISING  SON. 

"The  Beautiful,"  who  exercises  a  providence  over 
mankind.  Such  are  the  nations  of  Central  and  South 
ern  Africa;  and  if  we  can  rely  on  the  reports  of  the 
best  travellers,  they  furnish  some  of  the  best  material, 
out  of  which  to  build  up  prosperous  states  and  em 
pires,  that  is  to  be  found  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

We  come  next  to  the  Hottentots,  including  the 
Bushmen,  who  belong  to  the  same  race.  In  the  scale 
of  humanity,  he  probably  sinks  below  the  inhabitants 
of  Guinea  or  Congo. 

The  Hottentot  has  long  furnished  a  standard  of  com 
parison  to  moral  writers  by  which  to  represent  the 
lowest  condition  of  man.  He  inhabits  the  desert, 
lives  in  caves,  subsists  on  roots  or  raw  flesh,  has  no 
religious  ideas,  and  is  considered  by  the  European  as 
too  wretched  a  being  to  be  converted  into  a  slave. 
How  came  he  thus  degraded  ? 

That  is  a  question  which  we  do  not  often  see  an 
swered,  and  which  must  be  answered,  to  the  shame  of 
Christian  Europe.  Before  that  evil  hour  when  the 
Christian  navigator  neared  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
the  Hottentots  were  "a  numerous  people,  divided  into 
many  tribes  under  a  patriarchal  government  of  chiefs 
and  eldeis. 

They  had  numerous  flocks  and  herds,  lived  in 
movable  villages,  were  bold^  in  the  chase,  courageous 
in  warfare,  yet  mild  in  their  tempers  and  dispositions; 
had  rude  conceptions  of  religion,  and  exhibited  a 
scene  of  pastoral  life  like  that  of  the  ancient  Nomads 
of  the  Syrian  plains.  In  a  word,  they  were  a  part 
of  that  stream  of  emigration  to  which  we  have 
referred  in  a  previous  chapter,  and  who  evidently  were 


EASTERN   AFRICA.  71 

living  somewhat  as  they  had  in  the  country  of  their 
ancestors. 

Kolben,  who  saw  the  Hottentots  in  the  day  of  their 
prosperity,  enumerates  eighteen  tribes  of  the  race. 
The  European  colonists  hunted  these  tribes  as  they 
would  hunt  beasts  of  prey.  Most  of  them  they  exter 
minated,  and  seized  upon  their  possessions;  the  rest 
they  robbed  and  drove  into  forests  and  deserts,  where 
their  miserable  descendants  exist  as  wandering  Bush 
men,  exhibiting  to  good  Christian  people  material  for 
most  edifying  studies  in  "anatomy  and  ethnology." 

There  is  an  immense  region,  comprising  the  greater 
part  of  interior  Africa,  two  thousand  miles  in  length, 
and  one  thousand  in  breadth,  nearly  equal  to  the  whole 
of  the  United  States,  which  has  seldom  been  trodden 
by  the  foot  of  the  Caucasian.  It  spreads  out  beneath 
the  tropics,  and  is  supposed  by  Humboldt  to  be  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  fertile  regions  on  the  face  of 

o  o 

the  earth. 

"It  must  be,"  he  says,  "a  high  table-land,  rising 
into  the  cooler  strata  of  the  atmosphere,  combining 
therefore  the  qualities  of  the  tierra  caliente  of  Mexico, 
with  its  'cloudless  ethers,'  the  luxuriant  slopes  of  the 
Andes,  and  the  pastoral  plains  of  Southern  Asia.  It 
cannot  be  a  sandy  desert,  though  sometimes  put  down 
as  such  upon  the  maps,  because  vast  rivers  come  roll 
ing  down  from  it  into  the  surrounding  seas." 

It  has  long  been  the  land  of  romance,  mystery,  and 
wonder,  and  of  strange  and  tantalizing  rumors.  The 
"blameless  Ethiopians"  of  Homer,  the  favorites  of  the 
gods,  and  the  wonderful  Macrobians  of  Herodotus,  are 
placed  by  Heeren  on  the  outskirts  of  this  region,  where 
they  would  be  most  likely  to  be  offshoots  from  its 


72  THE  RISING  SON. 

parent  stock.  This  country  is  guarded  from  the  Eu 
ropean  by  forces  more  potent  than  standing  armies. 

Around  it  stretches  a  border  on  which  brood  malaria, 
pestilence,  and  death,  and  which  the  English  govern 
ment  for  half  a  century  have  expended  lives  and  treas 
ure  to  break  through.  In  one  expedition  after  another 
sent  out  from  the  island  of  Ascension,  nine  white 
men  out  of  ten  fell  victims  to  the  ''beautiful,  but  awful 
climate." 

Nevertheless,  news  from  the  interior  more  or  less 
distinct  has  found  its  way  over  this  belt  of  danger 
and  death.  Being  a  land  of  mystery,  it  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  ex 
aggeration  in  all  that  comes  from  it.  The  Niger,  one 
of  the  noblest  of  rivers,  skirts  this  unknown  country  for 
some  hundreds  of  miles,  after  sweeping  away  through 
the  middle  portion  of  Central  Africa  already  described. 

The  "Colonial  Magazine,"  speaking  of  the  explora 
tion  of  this  river  by  the  English  expeditions,  says: 
"They  have  found  that  this  whole  tract  of  country  is 
one  of  amazing  fertility  and  beauty,  abounding  in  gold, 
ivory,  and  all  sorts  of  tropical  vegetation.  There  are 
hundreds  of  woods,  invaluable  for  dyeing  and  agricul 
tural  purposes,  not  found  in  other  portions  of  the 
world. 

"Through  it  for  hundreds  of  miles  sweeps  a  river 
from  three  to  six  miles  broad,  with  clean  water  and 
unsurpassable  depth,  flowing  on  at  the  rate  of  two  or 
three  miles  an  hour,  without  rock,  shoal,  or  snag  to 
intercept  its  navigation.  Other  rivers  pour  into  this 
tributary  waters  of  such  volume  as  must  have  required 
hundreds  of  miles  to  be  collected,  yet  they  seem 
scarcely  to  enlarge  it.  Upon  this  river  are  scattered 


EASTERN   AFRICA.  73 

cities,  some  of  which  are  estimated  to  contain  a  million 
of  inhabitants;  and  the  whole  country  teems  with  a 
dense  population.  Far  in  the  interior,  in  the  very 
heart  of  this  continent,  is  a  portion  of  the  African  race 
in  an  advanced  state  of  civilization." 

In  the  year  1816,  Captain  Tuckey,  of  the  English 
Navy,  made  a  disastrous  expedition  up  the  Congo. 
In  1828,  Mr.  Owen,  from  the  opposite  coast,  at 
tempted  to  penetrate  this  land  of  mystery  and  marvel, 
with  a  like  result.  But  they  found  a  manifest  im 
provement  in  the  condition  of  the  people  the  farther 
they  advanced,  and  they  met  with  rumors  of  a  power 
ful  and  civilized  nation  still  farther  inward,  whose 
country  they  attempted  in  vain  to  explore. 

In  1818,  John  Campbell,  agent  of  the  London  Mis 
sionary  Society,  tried  to  reach  this  country  by  journey 
ing  from  the  Cape  northward;  and  later  still,  Captain 
Alexander  led  an  expedition,  having  the  same  object  in 
view.  They  found  large  and  populous  cities  situated 
in  a  fertile  and  highly-cultivated  country,  but  they  did 
not  reach  the  land  of  marvel  and  mystery,  though  they 
heard  the  same  rumors  respecting  its  people.  A  writer 
in  the  "Westminster  Review,"  who  lived  several  years 
on  the  western  coast,  gives  an  interesting  description 
of  the  interior  of  the  country.  He  says:  — 

"A  state  of .  civilization  exists  among  some  of  the 
tribes,  such  as  had  not  been  suspected,  hitherto  by 
those  who  have  judged  only  from  such  accounts  as 
have  been  given  of  the  tribes  with  which  travellers 
have  come  in  contact.  They  cannot  be  regarded  as 
savages,  having  organized  townships,  fixed  habitations, 
with  regular  defences  about  their  cities,  engaging  in 
agriculture  and  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloths  for 


74  .  THE   RISING    SON. 

clothing,  which  they  ornament  with  handsome  dyes  of 
native  production,  exhibit  handicraft  in  their  conver 
sion  of  iron  and  precious  metals  into  articles  of  use 
and  ornament." 

But  to  no  traveller  is  the  cause  of  African  civiliza 
tion  more  indebted  than  to  Dr.  Livingstone.  Twenty- 
six  years  of  his  life  have  been  spent  in  exploring  that 
country  and  working  for  the  good  of  its  people.  In 
August,  1849,  he  discovered  Lake  Ngami,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sheets  of  water  in  that  sunny  land.  His 
discovery  of  the  source  of  the  Zambesi  River  and  its 
tributaries,  the  Victoria  Falls,  the  beds  of  gold,  silver, 
iron  and  coal,  and  his  communication  with  a  people 
who  had  never  beheld  a  white  man  before,  are  mat 
ters  of  congratulation  to  the  friends  of  humanity,  and 
the  elevation  of  man  the  world  over. 

Along  the  shores  of  the  Zambesi  were  found 
pink  marble  beds,  and  white  marble,  its  clearness 
scarcely  equaled  by  anything  of  the  kind  ever  seen  in 
Europe.  In  his  description  of  the  country  through 
which  this  splendid  river  passes,  Dr.  Livingstone  says: 
"When  we  came  to  the  top  of  the  outer  range  of  the 
hills,  we  had  a  glorious  view.  At  a  short  distance  below 
us  we  saw  the  Kafue,  wending  away  over  a  forest-clad 
plain  to  the  confluence,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Zambesi,  beyond  that,  lay  a  long  range  of  dark  hills. 

"A  line  of  fleecy  clouds  appeared,  lying  along  the 
course  of  that  river  at  their  base.  The  plain  below  us, 
at  the  left  of  the  Kafue,  had  more  large  game  on  it 
than  anywhere  else  I  had  seen  in  Africa.  Hundreds 
of  buffaloes  and  zebras  grazed  on  the  open  spaces,  and 
there  stood  lordly  elephants  feeding  majestically,  noth 
ing  moving  apparently,  but  the  proboscis.  I  wish  that 


EASTERN   AFRICA.  75 

I  had  been  able  to  take  a  photograph  of  the  scene  so 
seldom  beheld,  and  which  is  destined,  as  guns  increase, 
to  pass  away  from  earth.  When  we  descended,  we 
found  all  the  animals  remarkably  tame.  The  elephants 
stood  beneath  the  trees,  fanning  themselves  with  their 
large  ears,  as  if  they  did  not  see  us." 

The  feathered  tribe  is  abundant  and  beautiful  in  this 
section  of  Africa.  Dr.  Livingstone  says:  "The  birds 
of  the  tropics  have  been  described  as  generally  want 
ing  in  power  of  song.  I  was  decidedly  of  the  opinion 
that  this  was  not  applicable  to  many  parts  of  Louda. 
Here  the  chorus,  or  body  of  song,  was*  not  much 
smaller  in  volume  than  it  is  in  England.  These  African 
birds  are  not  wanting  in  song ;  they  have  only  lacked 
poets  to  sing  their  praises,  which  ours  have  had  from 
the  time  of  Aristophanes  downward." 

Speaking  of  the  fruits,  he  says:  "There  are  great 
numbers  of  wild  grape-vines  growing  in,  this  quarter; 
indeed,  they  abound  everywhere  along  the  banks  of 
the  Zambesi.  They  are  very  fine;  and  it  occurred  to 
me  that  a  country  which  yields  the  wild  vines  so  very 
abundantly  might  be  a  fit  one  for  the  cultivated  spe 
cies.  We  found  that  many  elephants  had  been  feeding 
on  the  fruit  called  mokoronga.  This  is  a  black-colored 
plum,  having  purple  juice.  We  all  ate  it  in  large 
quantities,  as  we  found  it  delicious." 

While  exploring  the  Zambesi,  Dr.  Livingstone  vis 
ited  the  hot  spring  of  Nyamboronda,  situated  in  the  bed 
of  a  small  rivulet  called  N}raondo,  which  shows  that 
igneous  action  is  not  yet  extinct.  The  spring  emitted 
water  hot  enough  to  cook  a  fish  that  might  accidentally 
get  into  it. 

Dr.  Livingstone  represents  the  inhabitants,  through- 


76  THE    RISING    SON. 

out  his  long  journey  of  more  than  one  thousand  miles, 
as  well  disposed  toward  strangers,  and  a  majority  of 
them  favorable  to  civilization  and  the  banishment  of 
the  slave-trade,  that  curse  of  Africa. 

The  population  of  this  immense  country  has  been 
estimated  at  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  mil 
lions;  but  as1  we  have  no  certain  data  from  which  to 
compute  anything  like  a  correct  estimate  of  its  inhab 
itants,  it  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  a  proper  conclusion. 
Yet  from  all  we  can  learn,  I  should  judge  one  Ijundred 
and  fifty  millions  is  nearesi  to  it. 

Recent  travellers  in  Africa  have  discovered  ruins 
which  go- far  to  show  that  the  early  settlers  built  towns, 
and  then  abandoned  them  for  more  healthy  locations. 
In  September,  1871,  the  South  African  explorer,  Carl 
Mauch,  visited  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  and  mysterious 
city  in  the  highland  between  the  Zambesi  and  Limpopo 
Rivers,  long  known  by  native  report  to  the  Portuguese, 
and  situated  in  a  land,  which  from  its  gold  and  ivory, 
has  long  been  identified  by  some  authorities,  as  the 
Ophir  of  Scripture.  Zimbaoe  lies  in  about  lat.  20  de 
grees  14  seconds  S.;  long.  31  degrees  48  seconds  E. 

One  portion  of  the  ruins  rises  upon  a  granite  hill 
about  four  hundred  feet  in  relative  height;  the  other, 
separated  by  a  slight  valley,  lies  upon  a  somewhat 
raised  terrace.  From  the  curved  and  zi<rza£  form  still 

c      o 

apparent  in  the  ruined  walls  which  cover  the  whole  of 
the  western  declivity  of  the  hill,  these  have  doubtless 
formed  a  once  impregnable  fortress.  The  whole  space 
is  densely  overgrown  with  nettles  and  bushes,  and 
some  great  trees  have  intertwined  their  roots  with  the 
buildings. 

Without  exception,  the  walls,  some  of  which  have 


EASTERN   AFRICA.  77 

still  a  height  of  thirty  feet,  are  built  of  cut  granite 
stones,  generally  of  the  size  of  an  ordinary  brick,  but  no 
mortar  has  been  used.  The  thickness  of  the  walls  where 
they  appear  above  ground  is  ten  feet,  tapering  to  seven 
or  eight  feet.  In  many  places  monolith  pilasters  of 
eight  to  ten  feet  in  length,  ornamented  in  diamond- 
shaped  lines,  stand  out  of  the  building.  These  are 
generally  eight  inches  wide  and  three  in  thickness,  cut 
out  of  a  hard  and  close  stone  of  greenish-black  color, 
and  having  a  metallic  ring. 

During  the  first  hurried  visit,  Mauch  was  unable 
to  find  any  traces  of  inscription,  though  carvings 
of  unknown  characters  are  mentioned  by  the  early 
Portuguese  writers.  Such  however,  may  yet  be  found, 
and  a  clue  be  thus  obtained  as  to  the  age  of  the  strange 
edifice.  Zimbaoe  is,  in  all  probability,  an  ancient  fac 
tory,  raised  in  very  remote  antiquity  by  strangers  to 
the  land,  to  overawe  the  savage  inhabitants  of  the 
neighboring  country,  and  to  serve  as  a  depot  for  the 
gold  and  ivory  which  it  affords.  No  native  tribes 
dwelling  in  mud  huts  could  ever  have  conceived  its 
erection. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CAUSES   OF   COLOR. 

THE  various  colors  seen  in  the  natives  in  Africa, 
where  amalgamation  with  other  races  is  impossible,  has 
drawn  forth  much  criticism,  and  puzzled  the  ethnolo 
gist  not  a  little.  Yet  nothing  is  more  easily  accounted 
for  than  this  difference  of  color  amongst  the  same 
people,  and  even  under  the  same  circumstances.  Cli 
mate,  and  climate  alone,  is  the  sole  cause. 

And  now  to  the  proof.  Instances  are  adduced,  in 
which  individuals,  transplanted  into  another  climate 
than  that  of  their  birth,  are  said  to  have  retained  their 
peculiarities  of  form  and  color  unaltered,  and  to  have 
transmitted  the  same  to  their  posterity  for  generations. 
But  cases  of  this  kind,  though  often  substantiated  to 
a  certain  extent,  appear  to  have  been  much  exagger 
ated,  both  as  to  the  duration  of  time  ascribed,  and  the 
absence  of  any  change.  It  is  highly  probable,  that  the 
original  characteristics  will  be  found  undergoing  grad 
ual  modifications,  which  tend  to  assimilate  them  to 
those  of  the  new  country  and  situation. 

Th;;  Jews,  however  slightly  their  features  may  have 
assimilated  to  those  of  other  nations  amongst  whom 


CAUSES    OF    COLOR.  79 

they  are  scattered,  from  the  causes  already  stated,  cer 
tainly  form  a  very  striking  example  as  regards  the 
uncertainty  of  perpetuity  in  color. 

Descended  from  one  stock,  and  prohibited  by  the 
most  sacred  institutions  from  intermarrying  with  the 
people  of  other  nations,  and  yet  dispersed,  according 
to  the  divine  prediction,  into  every  country  on  the 
globe,  this  one  people  is  marked  with  the  colors  of 
all;  fair  in  Briton  and  Germany;  brown  in  France  and 
in  Turkey;  swarthy  in  Portugal  and  in  Spain;  olive  in 
Syria  and  in  Chaldca ;  tawny  or  copper-colored  in  Ara 
bia  and  in  Egypt;*  whilst  they  are  * 'black  at  Congo, 
in  Africa."f 

Let  us  survey  the  gradations  of  color  on  the  conti 
nent  of  Africa  itself.  The  inhabitants  of  the  north 
are  whitest;  and  as  we  advance  southward  towards  the 
line,  and  those  countries  in  which  the  sun's  rays  fall 
more  perpendicularly,  the  complexion  gradually  as 
sumes  a  darker  shade.  And  the  same  men,  whose  color 
has  been  rendered  black  by  the  powerful  influence*  of 
the  sun,  if  they  remove  to  the  north,  gradually  be 
come  whiter  (I  mean  their  posterity),  and  eventually 
lose  their  dark  color. J 

The  Portuguese  who  planted  themselves  on  the  coast 
of  Africa  a  few  centuries  ago,  have  been  succeeded 
by  descendants  blacker  than  many  Africans.  "§  On 
the  coast  of  Malabar  there  are  two  colonies  of  Jews, 
the  old  colony  and  the  new,  separated  by  color,  and 
known  as  the  "black  Jews,"  and  the  "white  Jews." 

*  Smith  on  "  The  Complexion  of  the  Human  Species." 

t  Pritchard. 

I  V  Tribute  for  the  Negro,"  p.  59. 

§  Penuington's  Text  Book,  p.  96. 


80  THE    RISING    SON. 

The  old  colony  are  the  black  Jews,  and  have  been 
longer  subjected  to  the  influence  of  the  climate.  The 
hair  of  the  black  Jews  are  curly,  showing  a  resem 
blance  to  the  Negro.  The  white  Jews  are  as  dark  as 
the  Gipsies,  and  each  generation  growing  darker. 

Dr.  Livingstone  sa^s, — "I  was  struck  with  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  people  in  Londa,  and  the   neighbor- 
'hood;  they   seemed    more  slender  in  form,  and   their 
color  a  lighter  olive,  than  any  we  had  hitherto  met."* 

Lower  down  the  Zambesi,  the  same  writer  says: 
"Most  of  the  men  are  muscular,  and  have  large, 
ploughman  hands.  Their  color  is  the  same  admixture, 
from  very  dark  to  light  olive,  that  we  saw  at  Londa. "f 

In  the  year  1840,  the  writer  was  at  Havana,  and  saw 
on  board  a  vessel  just  arrived  from  Africa  some  five 
hundred  slaves,  captured  in  different  parts  of  the  coun 
try.  Among  these  captives  were  colors  varying  from 
light  brown  to  black,  and  their  features  represented 
the  finest  Anglo-Saxon  and  the  most  degraded  African. 

There  is  a  nation  called  Tuaricks,  who  inhabit  the 
oases  and  southern  borders  of  the  great  desert,  whose 
occupation  is  commerce,  and  whose  caravans  ply  be 
tween  the  Negro  countries  and  Fezzan.  They  are 
described  by  the  travellers  Hornemann  and  Lyon. 

The  western  tribes  of  this  nation  are  white,  so  far 
as  the  climate  and  their  habits  will  allow.  Others  are 
of  a  yellow  cast;  others  again,-  are  swarthy;  and  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Soudan,  there  is  said  to  be  a  tribe 
completely  black.  All  speak  the  same  dialect,  and  it 
is  a  dialect  of  the  original  African  tongue.  There  is 
no  reasonable  doubt  of  their  being  aboriginal. 

Lyon  says  they  are  the  finest  race  of  men  he  ever 

*  "Livingstone's  Travels,"  p.  296.          |  Ibid,  p.  364. 


CAUSES    OF   COLOR.  81 

saw,  "tall,  straight,  and  handsome,  with  a  certain  air 
of  independence  and  pride,  which  is  very  imposing."* 
If  we  observe  the  gradations  of  color  in  different  local 
ities  in  the  meridian  under  which  we  live,  we  shall 
perceive  a  very  close  relation  to  the  heat  of  the  sun  in 
each  respectively.  Under  the  equator  we  have  the  deep 
black  of  the  Negro,  then  the  copper  or  olive  of  the 
Moors  of  Northern  Africa;  then  the  Spaniard  and 
Italian,  swarthy,  compared  with  other  Europeans; 
the  French,  still  darker  than  the  English,  while  the 
fair  and  florid  complexion  of  England  and  Germany 
passes  more  northerly  into  the  bleached  Scandinavian 
white,  f 

It  is  well-known,  that  in  whatever  region  travellers 
ascend  mountains,  they  find  the  vegetation  at  every 
successive  level  altering  its  character,  and  gradually 
assuming  the  appearances  presented  in  more  northern 
countries;  thus  indicating  that  the  atmosphere,  tem 
perature,  and  physical  agencies  in  general,  assimilate, 
as  we  approach*  Alpine  regions,  to  the  peculiarities 
locally  connected  with  high  latitudes. 

If,  therefore,  complexion  and  other  bodily  qualities 
belonging  to  races  of  men,  depend  upon  climate  and 
external  conditions,  we  should  expect  to  find  them 
varying  in  reference  to  elevation  of  surface;  and  if 
they  should  be  found  actually  to  undergo  such  varia 
tions,  this  will  be  a  strong  argument  that  these  external 
characteristics  do,  in  fact,  depend  upon  local  condi 
tions.  * 

Now,  if  we  inquire  respecting  the  physical  characters 
of  the  tribes  inhabiting  high  tracts  in  warm  countries, 

*  Heeren,  Vol.  I.,  p.  297.     j  Murray's  "  North  America." 
6 


82  THE  RISING  SON. 

we  shall  find  that  they  coincide  with  those  which  pre 
vail  in  the  level  or  low  parts  of  more  northern  tracts. 

The  Swiss,  in  the  high  mountains  above  the  plains  of 
Lombardy,  have  sandy  or  brown  hair.  What  a  con 
trast  presents  itself  to  the  traveller  who  descends  into 
the  Milanese  territory,  where  the  peasants  have  black 
hair  and  eyes,  with  strongly-marked  Italian,  and 
almost  Oriental  features. 

In  the  higher  part  of  the  Biscayan  country,  instead 
of  the  swarthy  complexion  and  black  hair  of  the  Castil- 
ians,  the  natives  have  a  fair  complexion,  with  light 
blue  eyes,  and  flaxen,  or  auburn  hair.* 

In  the  intertropical  region,  high  elevations  of  sur 
face,  as  they  produce  a  cooler  climate,  occasion  the 
appearance  of  light  complexions.  In  the  higher  parts 
of  Senegambia,  which  front  the  Atlantic,  and  are 
cooled  by  winds  from  the  Western  Ocean,  where,  in 
fact,  the  temperature  is  known  to  be  moderate,  and 
even  cool  at  times,  the  light  copper-colored  Fulahs  are 
found  surrounded  on  every  side  by  black  Negro  na 
tions  inhabiting  lower  districts;  and  nearly  in  the 
same  parallel,  but  on  the  opposite  coast  of  Africa,  are 
the  high  plains  of  Enared  and  Kaffa,  where  the  inhab 
itants  are  said  to  be  fairer  than  the  inhabitants  of 
Southern  Europe. f 

Do  we  need  any  better  evidence  of  the  influence  of 
climate  on  man,  than  to  witness,  its  effect  on  beasts 
and  birds  ?  ^Eolian  informs  us  that  the  Eubaea  was 
famous  for  producing  white  oxen.f  Blumenbach  re 
marks,  that  "all  the  swine  of  Piedmont  are  black, 
those  of  Normandy  white,  and  those  of  Bavaria  are 

*  Pritchard.  f  Ibid.        I  JEolian,  lib.  xii,  cap.  36. 


CAUSES    OF   COLOR.  83 

of  a  reddish  brown.  The  turkeys  of  Normandy," 
he  states,  "are  all  black;  those  of  Hanover  almost  all 
white.  In  Guinea,  the  dogs  and  the  gallinaceous  fowls 
are  as  black  as  the  human  inhabitants  of  the  same 
country." 

The  lack  of  color,  in  the  northern  regions,  of  many 
animals  which  possess  color  in  more  temperate  lati 
tudes, — as  the  bear,  the  fox,  the  hare>  beasts  of  burden, 
the  falcon,  crow,  jackdaw,  and  chaffinch, — seems  to 
arise  entirely  from -climate.  The  common  bear  is  dif 
ferently  colored  in  different  regions.  The  dog  loses 
its  coat  entirely  in  Africa,  and  has  a  smooth  skin. 

We  all  see  and  admit  the  change  which  a  few  years 
produces  in  the  complexion  of  a  Caucasian  going  from 
our  northern  latitude  into  the  tropics. 

*  Pritchard. 


/ 


CHAPTER  V. 

CAUSES   OF   THE    DIFFERENCE   IN   FEATURES. 

WE  now  come  to  a  consideration  of  the  difference 
in  the  features  of  the  human  family,  and  especially  the 
great  variety  to  be  seen  in  the  African  race.  From 
the  grim  worshippers  of  Odin  in  the  woods  of  Germany, 
down  to  the  present  day,  all  uncivilized  nations  or 
tribes  have  more  or  less  been  addicted  to  the  barbar 
ous  custom  of  disfiguring  their  persons. 

Thus,  among  the  North  American  Indians,  the  tribe 
known  as  the  "flat  heads,"  usually  put  their  children's 
heads  to  press  when  but  a  few  days  old;  and  conse 
quently,  their  name  fitly  represents  their  personal  ap 
pearance.  While  exploring  the  valley  of  the  Zambesi, 
Dr.  Livingstone  met  with  several  tribes  whose  mode 
of  life  will  well  illustrate  this  point.  He  says:  — 

"The  women  here  are  in  the  habit  of  piercing  the 
upper  lip  and  gradually  enlarging  the  orifice  until 
they  can  insert  a  shell.  The  lip  then  appears  drawn 
out  beyond  the  perpendicular  of  the  nose,  and  gives 
them  a  most  ungainly  aspect.  Sekwebu  remarked, — 
'These  women  want  to  make  their  mouths  like  those  of 
ducks.'  And  indeed,  it  does  appear  as  if  they  had  the 

(84) 


CAUSES    OF    THE    DIFFERENCE    IX   FEATURES.         85 

idea  that  female  beauty  of  lip  had  been  attained  by  the 
Ornithorhynchus  paradoxus  alone.  This  custom  pre 
vails  throughout  the  country  of  the  Muravi,  and  no 
one  could  see  it  without  confessing  that  fashion  had 
never  led  women  to  a  freak  more  mad."* 

There  is  a  tribe  near  the  coast  of  Guinea,  who  con 
sider  a  flat  nose  the  paragon  of  beauty;  and  at  early 
infancy,  the  child's  nose  is  put  in  press,  that  it  may 
not  appear  ugly  when  it  arrives  to  years  of  maturity. 

Many  of  the  tribes  in  the  interior  of  Africa  mark 
the  face,  arms,  and  breasts;  these,  in  some  instances, 
are  considered  national  identifications.  Knocking  out 

o 

the  teeth  is  a  common  practice,  'as  will  be  seen  by 
reference  to  Dr.  Livingstone's  travels.  Living  upon 
roots,  as  many  of  the  more  degraded  tribes  do,  has  its 
influence  in  moulding  the  features. 

There  is  a  decided  coincidence  between  the  physical 
characteristics  of  the  varieties  of  man,  and  their  moral 
and  social  condition;  and  it  also  appears  that  their  con 
dition  in  civilized  society  produces  marked  modifi 
cation  in  the  intellectual  qualities  of  the  race.  Re 
ligious  superstition  and  the  worship  of  idols  have 
done  much  towards  changing  the  features  of  the  Negro 
from  the  original  Ethiopian  of  Meroe,  to  the  present 
inhabitants  of  the  shores  of  the  Zambesi. 

The  farther  the  human  mind  strays  from  the  ever- 
living  God  as  a  spirit,  the  nearer  it  approximates  to 
the  beasts;  and  as  the  mental  controls  the  physical,  so 
ignorance  and  brutality  are  depicted  upon  the  counte 
nance. 

As  the  African  by  his  fall  has  lost   those  qualities 

*  "Livingstone's  Travels/'  p.  366. 


86  THE   RISING    SON. 

that  adorn  the  visage  of  man,  so  the  Anglo-Saxon,  by 
his  rise  in  the  scale  of  humanity,  has  improved  his 
features,  enlarged  his  brain,  and  brightened  in  intel 
lect. 

Let  us  see  how  far  history  will  bear  us  out  in  this 
assertion.  We  all  acknowledge  the  Anglo-Saxon  to 
be  the  highest  type  of  civilization.  But  from  whence 
sprang  this  refined,  proud,  haughty,  and  intellectual 
race?  Go  back  a  few  centuries,  and  we  find  their  an 
cestors  described  in  the  graphic  touches  of  Coesar  and 
Tacitus.  See  them  in  the  gloomy  forests  of  Germany, 
sacrificing  to  their  grim  and  gory  idols;  drinking  the 
warm  blood  of  their  prisoners,  quaffing  libations 'from 
human  skulls;  infesting  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  for 
plunder  and  robbery;  bringing  home  the  reeking 
scalps  of  enemies  as  an  offering  to  their  king. 

Macaulay  says: — "When  the  Britons  first  became 
known  to  the  Tyrian  mariners,  they  were  little  supe 
rior  to  the  Sandwich  Islanders." 

Hume  says: — "The  Britons  were  a  rude  and  barbar 
ous  people,  divided  into  numerous  clans,  dressed  in 
the  skins  of  wild  beasts:  druidism  was  their  religion, 
and  they  were  very  superstitious."  Caesar  writing 
home,  said  of  the  Britons, — "They  are  the  most  de 
graded  people  I  ever  conquered."  Cicero  advised  his 
friend  Atticus  not  to  purchase  slaves  from  Briton, 
"because,"  said  he,  "they  cannot  be  taught  music, 
and  are  the  ugliest  people  I  ever  saw." 

An  illustration  of  the  influence  of  circumstances 
upon  the  physical  appearance  of  man  may  be  found 
still  nearer  our  own  time.  In  the  Irish  rebellion  in 
1641,  and  1689,  great  multitudes  of  the  native  Irish 
were  driven  from  Armagh  and  the  South  down  into 


CAUSES    OF   THE    DIFFERENCE    IN    FEATURES.         87 

the  mountainous  tract  extending  from  the  Barony  of 
Flews  eastward  to  the  sea;  on  the  other  side  of  the 
kingdom  th«  same  race. were  expelled  into  Litrin, 
Sligo,  and  Mayo.  Here  they  have  been  almost  ever 
since,  exposed  to  the  worst  effects  of  hunger  and  igno 
rance,  the  two  great  brutalizers  of  the  human  race. 

The  descendants  of  these  exiles  are  now  distin 
guished  physically,  from  their  kindred  in  Meath,  and 
other  districts,  where  they  are  not  in  a  state  of  personal 
debasement.  These  people  are  remarkable  for  open, 
projecting  mouths,  prominent  teeth,  and  exposed 
gums;  their  advancing  cheek-bones  and  depressed 
noses  carry  barbarism  on  their  very  front. 

Iii  'Sligo  and  northern  Mayo,  the  consequences  of  two 
centuries  of  degradation  and  hardship  exhibit  them 
selves  in  the  whole  physical  condition  of  the  people, 
affecting  not  only  the  features,  but  the  frame,  and  giv 
ing  such  an  example  of  human  degradation  as  to  make 
it  revolting. 

They  are  only  five  feet  two  inches,  upon  an  average, 
bow-legged,  bandy-shanked,  abortively-featured;  the 
apparitions  of  Irish  ugliness  and  Irish  want.* 

Slavery  is,  after  all,  the  great  demoralizer  of  the  hu 
man  race.  In  addition  to  the  marks  of  barbarism  left 
upon  the  features  of  the  African,  he  has  the  indelible 
imprint  of  the  task-master.  Want  of  food,  clothing, 
medical  attention  when  sick,  over-work,  under  the  con 
trol  of  drunken  and  heartless  drivers,  the  hand-cuffs 
and  Negro  whip,  together  with  the  other  paraphernalia 
of  the  slave-code,  has  done  much  to  distinguish  the 
blacks  from  the  rest  of  the  human  family.  It  must 

*  "Dublin  University  Magazine,"  Vol.  IV.,  p.  G53. 


88  .     THE   RISING    SON. 

also  be  remembered  that  in  Africa,  the  people, 
whether  living  in  houses  or  in  the  open  air,  are  op 
pressed  with  a  hot  climate,  which  causes  them  to  sleep, 
more  or  less,  with  their  mouths  open.  This  fact  alone 
is  enough  to  account  for  the  large,  wide  mouth  and 
flat  nose;  common  sense  teaching  us  that  with  the 
open  mouth,  the  features  must  fall. 

As  to  the  hair,  which  has  also  puzzled  some  scien 
tific  men,  it  is  easily  accounted  for.  It  is  well-known 
that  heat  is  the  great  ciisper  of  the  hair,  whether  it  be 
on  men's  heads  or  on  the  backs  of  animals.  I  remem 
ber  well,  when  a  boy,  to  have  witnessed  with  con 
siderable  interest  the  preparations  made  on  great 
occasions  by  the  women,  with  regard  to  their  hair. 

The  curls  which  had  been  carefully  laid  away  for 
months,  were  taken  out  of  the  drawer,  combed,  oiled, 
rolled  over  the  prepared  paper,  and  put  in  the  gently- 
heated  stove,  there  to  remain  until  the  wonted  curl 
should  be  gained.  When  removed  from  the  stove, 
taken  off  the  paper  rolls,  and  shaken  out,  the  hair 
was  fit  to  adorn  the  head  of  any  lady  in  the  land. 

Now,  the  African's  hair  has  been  under  the  influence 
for  many  centuries,  of  the  intense  heat  of  his  native 
clime,  and  in  each  generation  is  still  more  curly,  till 
we  find^  as  many  grades  of  hair  as  we  do  of  color, 
from  the  straight  silken  strands  of  the  Malay,  to  the 
wool  of  the  Guinea  Negro.  Custom,  air,  food,  and 
the  general  habits  of  the  people,  spread  over  the  great 
area  of  the  African  continent,  aid  much  in  producing 
the  varieties  of  hair  so  often  met  with  in  the  descend 
ants  of  the  country  of  the  Nile. 

In  the  recent  reports  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  he  de 
scribes  the  physical  appearance  of  a  tribe  which  he  met, 


CAUSES    OF   THE    DIFFERENCE    IN   FEATURES.         89 

and  which  goes  to  substantiate  what  has  already  been 
said  with  regard  to  the  descent  of  the  Africans  from 
the  region  of  the  Kile.  He  says:  — 

"I  happened  to  be  present  when  all  the  head  men 
o£  the  great  chief  Msama  who  lives  west  of  the  south 
end  of  Tauganayika,  had  come  together  to  make  peace 
with  certain  Arabs  who  had  burned  their  chief  town, 
and  I  am  certain  one  could  not  see  more  finely-formed, 
intellectual  heads  in  any  assembly  in  London  or  Paris, 
and  the  faces  and  forms  corresponded  with  the  finely- 
shaped  heads.  Msama  himself  had  been  a  sort  of  Napo 
leon  for  fighting  and  conquering  in  his  younger  days. 

4 'Many  of  the  women  are  very  pretty,  and,  like  all 
ladies,  would  be  much  prettier  if  they  would  only  let 
themselves  alone.  Fortunately,  the  dears  cannot 
change  their  darling  black  eyes,  beautiful  foreheads, 
nicely-rounded  limbs,  well-shaped  forms,  and  small 
hands  and  feet;  but  they  must  adorn  themselves,  and 
this  they  will  do  by  filing  their  splendid  teeth  to 
points  like  cats'  teeth.  These  specimens  of  the  fair 
sex  make  shift  by  adorning  their  fine,  warm  brown 
skins,  and  tattooing  various  pretty  devices  without 
colors.  They  are  not  black,  but  of  a  light  warm 
brown  color. 

"The  Cazembe's  queen  would  be  esteemed  a  real 
beauty,  either  in  London,  Paris,  or  New  York;  and  yet 
she  had  a  small  hole  through  the  cartilage,  near  the 
tip  of  her  fine  aquiline  nose.  But  she  had  only  filed 
one  side  of  two  of  the  front  swan-white  teeth,  and 
then  what  a  laugh  she  had!  Large  sections  of  the 
country  northwest  of  Cazembe,  but  still  in  the  same 
inland  region,  are  peopled  with  men  very  much  like 
those  of  Msama  and  Cazembe."- 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CIVIL  AND   RELIGIOUS   CEREMONIES. 

WHILE  paganism  is  embraced  by  the  larger  portion 
of  the  African  races,  it  is  by  no  means  the  religion 
of  the  land.  Missionaries  representing  nearly  every 
phase  of  religious  belief  have  made  their  appearance  in 
the  country,  and  gained  more  or  less  converts.  Moham 
medanism,  however,  has  taken  by  far  the  greatest  hold 
upon  the  people. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  followers  of  Moham 
med  in  other  countries,  it  may  truly  be  averred  that 
the  African  has  been  greatly  benefited  by  this  relig 
ion. 

Recent  discussions  and  investigations  have  brought 
the  subject  of  Mohammedanism  prominently  before  the 
reading  public,  and  the  writings  of  Weil,  and  Nol- 
deke,  and  Muir>  and  Sprenger,  and  Emanuel  Deutsch, 
have  taught  the  world  that  "Mohammedanism  is  a  thing 
of  vitality,  fraught  with  a  thousand  fruitful  germs;" 
and  have  amply  illustrated  the  principle  enunciated 
by  St.  Augustine,  showing  that  there  are  elements  both 
of  truth  and  goodness  in  a  system  which  has  had  so 
wide-spread  an  influence  upon  mankind,  embracing 

(90) 


CIVIL   AND   RELIGIOUS   CEREMONIES.  91 

within  the  scope  of  its  operations  more  than  one  hun 
dred  millions  of  the  human  race ;  that  the  exhibition  of 
the  germs  of  truth,  even  though  "suspended  in  a  gallery 
of  counterfeits,"  has  vast  power  over  the  human  heart. 

Whatever  may  be  the  intellectual  inferiority  of  the 
Negro  tribes  (if,  indeed,  such  inferiority  exist),  it  is 
certain  that  many  of  these  tribes  have  received  the 
religion  of  Islam  without  its  being  forced  upon  them 
by  the  overpowering  arms  of  victorious  invaders. 
The  qnict  development  and  organization  of  a  religious 
community  in  the  heart  of  Africa  has  shown  that 
Negroes,  equally  with  other  races,  are  susceptible  of 
moral  and  spiritual  impressions,  and  of  all  the  sublime 
possibilities  of  religion. 

The  history  of  the  progress  of  Islam  in  the  country 
would  present  the  same  instances  of  real  and  eager 
mental  conflict  of  minds  in  honest  transition,  of 
careful  comparison  and  reflection,  that  have  been 
found  in  other  communities  where  new  aspects  of 
truth  and  fresh  considerations  have  been  brought  be 
fore  them.  And  we  hold  that  it  shows  a  stronger  and 
more  healthy  intellectual  tendency  to  be  induced  by 
the  persuasion  and  reason  of  a  man  of  moral  nobleness 
and  deep  personal  convictions  to  join  with  him  in  the  in 
troduction  of  beneficial  changes,  than  to  be  compelled 
to  follow  the  lead  of  an  irresponsible  character,  who 
forces  us  into  measures  by  his  superior  physical 
might. 

Mungo  Park,  in  his  travels  seventy  years  ago, 
everywhere  remarked  the  contrast  between  the  pagan 
and  Mohammedan  tribes  of  interior  Africa.  One  very 
important  improvement  noticed  by  him  was  abstinence 
from  intoxicating  drinks. 


92  THE    RISING    SON. 

"The  beverage  of  the  pagan  Negroes/'  he  says,  "is 
beer  and  mead,  of  which  they  often  drink  to  excess; 
the  Mohammedan  converts  drink  nothing  but  water." 

Thus,  throughout  Central  Africa  there  has  been  es 
tablished  a  vast  total  abstinence  society;  and  such  is 
the  influence  of  this  society  that  where  there  are  Mos 
lem  inhabitants,  even  in  pagan  towns,  it  is  a  very  rare 
thing  to  see  a  person  intoxicated.  They  thus  present 
an  almost  impenetrable  barrier  to  the  desolating  flood 
of  ardent  spirits  with  which  the  traders  from  Europe 
and  America  inundate  the  coast  at  Gaboon. 

Wherever  the  Moslem  is  found  on  the  coast, 
whether  Jalof,  Fulah,  or  Mandingo,  he  looks  upon 
himself  as  a  separate  and  distinct  being  from  his 
pagan  neighbor,  and  immeasurably  his  superior  in  in 
tellectual  and  moral  respects.  lie  regards  himself  as 
one  to  whom  a  revelation  has  been  "sent  down"  from 
Heaven.  He  holds  constant  intercourse  with  the 
"Lord  of  worlds,"  whose  servant  he  is.  In  his  behalf 
Omnipotence  will  ever  interpose  in  times  of  danger. 
Hence  he  feels  that  he  cannot  indulge  in  the  frivolities 
and  vices  which  he  considers  as  by  no  means  incom 
patible  with  the  character  and  professions  of  the  Kafir, 
or  unbeliever. 

There  are  no  caste  distinctions  among  them.  They 
do  not  look  upon  the  privileges  of  Islam  as  confined 
by  tribal  barriers  or  limitations.  On  the  contrary,  the 
life  of  their  religion  is  aggressiveness.  They  are  con 
stantly  making  proselytes.  As  early  as  the  com 
mencement  of  the  present  century,  the  elastic  and  ex 
pansive  character  of  their  system  was  sufficiently 
marked  to  attract  .the  notice  of  Mr.  Park. 

"In  the  Negro   country,"  observes  that  celebrated 


CIVIL   AND    RELIGIOUS    CEREMONIES.  93 

traveller,  "the  Mohammedan  religion  has  made;  and. 
continues  to  make,  considerable  progress."  "The 
yearning  of  the  native  African,"  says  Professor  Crum- 
mell,  "for  a  higher  religion,  is  illustrated  by  the  sin 
gular  fact  that  Mohammedanism  is  rapidly  and  peace 
ably  spreading  all  through  the  tribes  of  Western 
Africa,  even  to  the  Christian  settlements  of  Liberia." 

From  Senegal  to  Lagos,  over  two  thousand  miles, 
there  is  scarcely  an  important  town  on  the  seaboard 
where  there  is  not  at  least  one  mosque,  and  active 
representatives  of  Islam  often  side  by  side  with  the 
Christian  teachers.  And  as  soon  as  a  pagan,  however 
obscure  or  degraded,  embraces  the  Moslem  faith,  he 
is  at  once  admitted  as  an  equal  to  their  society.  Slav 
ery  and  slave-trade  are  laudable  institutions,  provid 
ed  the  slaves  are  Kafirs.  The  slave  who  embraces 
Islamism  is  free,  and  no  office  is  closed  against  him 
on  account  of  servile  blood.* 

Passing  over  into  the  southern  part,  we  find  the 
people  in  a  state  of  civilization,  and  yet  supersti 
tious,  as  indeed  are  the  natives  everywhere. 

The  town  of  Noble  is  a  settlement  of  modern  times, 
sheltering  forty  thousand  souls,  close  to  an  ancient 
city  of  the  same  name,  the  Home  of  aboriginal  South 
Africa.  The  religious  ceremonies  performed  there 
are  of  the  most  puerile  character,  and  would  be 
thought  by  most  equally  idolatrous  with  those  for 
merly  held  in  the  same  spot  by  the  descendants  of 
Munibo  Jumbo. 

On    Easter    Monday    is    celebrated    the    Festa  del 

*  Prof.  Blyden,  in  "Methodist  Quarterly  Review,"  June, 
1871. 


94  THE  RISING    SOX. 

/Senor  de  los  Temblor es,  or  Festival  of  the  Lord  of 
Earthquakes.  On  this  day  the  public  plaza  in  front 
of  the  cathedral  is  hung  with  garlands  and  festoons, 
and  the  belfry  utters  its  loudest  notes.  The  images 
of  the  saints  are  borne  out  from  their  shrines,  covered 
with  fresh  and  gaudy  decorations.  The  Madonna  of 
Bethlehem,  San  Cristoval,  San  Bias,  and  San  Jose, 
are  borne  on  in  elevated  state,  receiving  as  they  go 
the  prayers  of  all  the  Maries,  and  Christophers,  and 
Josephs,  who  respectively  regard  them  as  patrons. 
But  the  crowning  honors  are  reserved  for  the  miracu- 

o 

lous  Crucifix,  called  the  Lord  of  Earthquakes,  which 
is  supposed  to  protect  the  city  from  the  dreaded  ter 
restrial  shocks,  the  Temblores. 

The  procession  winds  around  a  prescribed  route, 
giving  opportunity  for  public  prayers  and  the  devotions 
of  the  multitude;  the  miraculous  image,  in  a  new 
spangled  skirt,  that  gives  it  the  most  incongruous  re 
semblance  to  an  opera-dancer,  is  finally  shut  up  in  the 
church;  and  then  the  glad  throng,  feeling  secure 
from  earthquakes  another  year,  dance  and  sing  in  the 
plaza  all  night  long. 

The  Borers,  a  hardy,  fighting,  and  superstitious  race, 
have  a  showy  time  at  weddings  and  funerals.  When 
the  appointed  day  for  marriage  has  arrived,  the  friends 
of  the  contracting  parties  assemble  and  form  a  circle; 
into  this  ring  the  bridegroom  leads  his  lady-love. 

The  woman  is  divested  of  her  clothing,  and  stands 
somewhat  as  mother  Eve  did  in  the  garden  before  she 
thought  of  the  fig-leaf.  The  man  then  takes  oil  from 
a  shell,  and  anoints  the  bride  from  the  crown  of  her 
head  to  the  soles  of  her  feet ;  at  the  close  of  this  cere 
mony,  the  bridegroom  breaks  forth  into  joyful  peals  of 


CIVIL    AND   RELIGIOUS    CEREMONIES.  95 

laughter,  in  which  all  the  company  join,  the  musicians 
strike  up  a  lively  air,  and  the  dance  commences.  At 
the  close  of  this,  the  oldest  woman  in  the  party  comes 
forward,  and  taking  the  bride  by  the  right  hand,  gives 
her  to  her  future  husband. 

Two  maids  standing  ready  with  clothes,  jump  to  the 
bride,  and  begin  rubbing  her  off.  After  this,  she  is 
again  dressed,  and  the  feast  commences,  consisting 
mainly  of  fruits  and  wines. 

The  funeral  services  of  the  same  people  are  not  less 
interesting.  At  the  death  of  one  of  their  number,  the 
body  is  stripped,  laid  out  upon  the  ground,  and  the 
friends  of  the  deceased  assemble,  forming  a  circle 
around  it,  and  commence  howling  like  so  many  de 
mons.  They  then  march  and  counter-march  around, 
with  a  subdued  chant.  After  this,  they  hop  around 
first  on  one  foot,  then  on  the  other;  stopping  still,  they 
cry  at  the  top  of  their  voices — "She's  in  Heaven,  she's 
in  Heaven! "  Here  they  all  fall  flat  upon  the  ground, 
and  roll  about  for  a  few  minutes,  after  which  they  si 
multaneously  rise,  throw  up  their  hands,  and  run  away 
yelling  and  laughing. 

Among  the  Bechuanas,  when  a  chief  dies,  his  burial 
takes  place  in  his  cattle-yard,  and  all  the  cattle  are 
driven  for  an  hour  over  the  grave,  so  that  it  may  be 
entirely  obliterated.*  In  all  the  Back  wain's  pretended 
dreams  and  visions  of  their  God,  he  has  always  a 
crooked  leg  like  the  Egyptian. f 

Musical  and  dancing  festivities  form  a  great  part  of 
the  people's  time.  With  some  of  the  tribes,  instru 
mental  music  has  been  carried  to  a  high  point  of  cult- 

*  Dr.  Livingstone.  t  Thau. 


96  THE    RISING    SON. 

ure.  Bruce  gives  an  account  of  a  concert,  the  music 
of  which  he  heard  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more, 
on  a  still  night  in  October.  He  says:  "It  was  the  most 
enchanting  strain  I  ever  listened  to." 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  attempt  a  detailed  account 
of  the  ceremonies  of  the  various  tribes  that  inhabit  the 
continent  of  Africa;  indeed,  such  a  thing  would  be 
impossible,  even  if  I  were  inclined  to  do  so. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


ACCORDING  to  Bruce,  who  travelled  extensively  in 
Africa,  the  Abyssinians  have  among  them  a  tradition, 
handed  down  from  time  immemorial,  that  Gush  was 
their  father.  Theodore,  late  king  of  Abyssinia,  main 
tained  that  he  descended  in  a  direct  line  from  Moses. 
As  this  monarch  has  given  wider  fame  to  his  country 
than  any  of  his  predecessors,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to 
give  a  short  sketch  of  him  and  his  government. 

Theodore  was  born  at  Quarel,  on  the  borders  of  the 
western  Amhara,  and  was  educated  in  a  convent  in 
which  he  was  placed  by  his  mother,  his  father  being 
dead.  He  early  delighted  in  military  training,  and 
while  yet  a  boy,  became  proficient  as  a  swordsman 
and  horseman. 

Like  Robert  Clive,  Warren  Hastings,  and  many 
other  great  warriors,  Theodore  became  uneasy  under 
the  restraint  of  the  school-room,  and  escaped  from  the 
convent  to  his  uncle,  Dejatch  Comfu,  a  noted  rebel, 
from  whom  he  imbibed  a  taste  for  warlike  pursuits, 
and  eventually  became  ruler  of  a  large  portion  of  Abys 
sinia.  Naturally  ambitious  and  politic,  he  succeeded 
7 


98  THE   RISING   SON. 

in  enlarging  his  authority  steadily  at  the  expense  of 
the  other  "Kas,"  or  chiefs,  of  Abyssinia.  His  power 
especially  increased  when,  in  1853,  he  defeated  his 
father-in-law,  Kas  Ali,  and  took  him  prisoner.  At 
length  in  1855,  he  felt  himself  strong  enough  to  for 
mally  claim  the  throne  of  all  Abyssinia,  and  he  was 
crowned  as  such  by  the  Abuna  Salama,  the  head  of  the 
Abyssinian  church. 

His  reign  soon  proved  to  be  the  most  effective 
Abyssinia  had  ever  had.  As  soon  as  he  came  into 
power,  his  attention  was  directed  to  the  importance  of 
being  on  terms  of  friendship  with  the  government 
which  rules  India,  and  which  has  established  itself  in 
the  neighboring  stronghold  of  Aden.  He  therefore 
resolved  to  assert  the  rights  assured  to  him  by  virtue 
of  the  treaty  made  between  Great  Britain  and  Abys 
sinia  in  the  year  1849,  and  ratified  in  1852,  in  which 
it  was  stipulated  that  each  State  should  receive  em- 
bassadors  from  the  other.  Mr.  Plowden,  who  had  been 
for  many  years  English  consul  at  Massawah,  although 
not  an  accredited  agent  to  Abyssinia,  went  to  that 
country  with  presents  for  the  people  in  authority,  and 
remained  during  the  war  which  broke  out  at  the  suc 
cession  of  Theodore. 

Unfortunately,  Mr.  Plowden,  who  had  succeeded  in 
winning  the  favor  of  the  emperor,  to  a  large  extent, 
was  killed;  and  his  successor,  Mr.  Cameron,  was  in 
formed,  soon  after  his  arrival  in  1862, 'by  the  King, 
that  he  desired  to  carry  out  the  above-mentioned 
treaty;  he  even  wrote  an  autograph  letter  to  Queen 
Victoria,  asking  permission  to  send  an  embassy  to 
London.  Although  the  letter  reached  England  in 
February,  1863,  it  remained  unanswered;  and  the 


THE    ABYSSINIANS.  99 

supposition  is,  that  this  circumstance,  together  with  a 
quarrel  with  Mr.  Stern,  a  missionary,  who  in  a  book 
on  Abyssinia,  had  spoken  disrespectfully  of  the  King, 
and  who  had  remonstrated  against  the  flogging  to 
death  of  two  interpreters,  roused  the  King's  temper, 
and  a  year  after  having  dispatched  the  unanswered 
letter,  he  sent  an  armed  force  to  the  missionary  station, 
seized  the  missionaries,  and  put  them  in  chains.  He 
also  cast  Mr.  Cameron  into  prison,  and  had  him  chained 
continually  to  an  Abyssinian  soldier. 

Great  excitement  prevailed  in  England  on  the  arrival 
of  the  news  of  this  outrage  against  British  subjects: 
but  in  consideration  of  an  armed  expedition  having  to 
undergo  many  hardships  in  such  a  warm  climate,  it 
was  deemed  best  by  the  English  government  to  use 
diplomacy  in  its  efforts  to  have  the  prisoners  released. 
It  was  not  until  the  second  half  of  August,  1865,  that 
Mr.  Rassam,  an  Asiatic,  by  birth,  was  sent  on  a  special 
mission  to  the  Abyssinian  potentate,  and  was  received 
on  his  arrival  in  February,  1866,  in  a  truly  magnificent 
style,  the  release  of  the  prisoners  being  at  once  or 
dered  by  the  King.  But  the  hope  thus  raised  was  soon 
to  be  disappointed,  for  when  Mr.  Rassam  and  the  other 
prisoners  were  just  on  the  point  of  taking  leave  of 
the  Emperor,  they  were  put  under  arrest,  and  notified 
that  they  would  have  to  remain  in  the  country  as  State 
guests  until  an  answer  could  be  obtained  to  another 
letter  which  the  King  was  going  to  write  to  the  Queen. 

After  exhausting  all  diplomatic  resources  to  obtain 
from  Theodore  the  release  of  the  captives,  the  Eng 
lish  government  declared  war  against  Theodore. 
The  war  was  chiefly  to  be  carried  on  with  the  troops, 
European  and  native,  \Vhich  in  India  had  become 


100  THE   RISING    SON. 

accustomed    to   the   hot    climate.     The  first  English 

o 

troops  made  their  appearance  in  October,  1867,  but 
it  was  not  until  the  close  of  the  year  that  the  whole 
of  the  army  arrived.  The  expedition  was  commanded 
by  General  Sir  Robert  Napier,  heretofore  command 
ing-general  at  Bombay.  Under  him  acted  as  com- 

O    O  » 

manders  of  divisions,  Sir  Charles  Steevely,  and  Colonel 
Malcolm,  while  Colonel  Merewether  commanded  the 
cavalry.  The  distance  from  Massowah,  the  landing- 
place  of  the  troops,  to  Magdala,  the  capital  of  Theo 
dore,  is  about  three  hundred  miles.  The  English  had 
to  overcome  great  difficulties,  but  they  overcame  them 
with  remarkable  energy.  King  Theodore  gradually  re 
tired  before  the  English  without  risking  a  battle  until  he 
reached  his  capital.  Then  he  made  a  stand,  and  fought 
bravely  for  his  crown,  but  in  vain;  he  was  defeated, 
the  capital  captured,  and  the  King  himself  slain. 

King  Theodore  was,  on  the  whole,  the  greatest 
ruler  Abyssinia  has  ever  had:  even,  according  to 
English  accounts,  he  excelled  in  all  manly  pursuits, 
and  his  general  manner  was  polite  and  engaging. 
Had  he  avoided  this  foolish  quarrel  with  England,  and 
proceeded  on  the  way  of  reform  which  he  entered 
upon  in  the  beginning  of  his  reign,  he  would  'proba 
bly  have  played  an  important  part  in  the  political 
regeneration  of  Eastern  Africa. 

As  a  people,  the  Abyssinians  are  intelligent,  are  of 
a  ginger-bread,  or  coffee  color,  although  a  large  por 
tion  of  them  are  black.  Theodore  was  himself  of  this 
latter  class.  They  have  fine  schools  and  colleges, 
and  a  large  and  flourishing  military  academy.  Agri 
culture,  that  great  civilizer  of  man,  is  carried  on  here 
to  an  extent  unknown  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

WESTERN   AND   CENTRAL   AFRICA. 

THE  Colony  of  Sierra  Leone,  of  which  Free  Town  is 
the  capital,  is  situated  in  8  degrees  30  minutes  north 
latitude,  and  is  about  13J  degrees  west  longitude; 
was  settled  by  the  English,  and  was  for  a  long  time 
the  most  important  place  on  the  western  coast  of 
Africa.  The  three  leading  tribes  on  the  coast  of 
Sierra  Leone  are  the  Timanis,  the  Susus,  and  the  Veys. 
The  first  of  these  surround  the  British  Colony  of  Sier 
ra  Leone  on  all  sides.  The  Susus  have  their  princi 
pal  settlements  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Rio  Pon- 
gas,  and  are  at  some  distance  from  the  sea  coast. 
The  Veys  occupy  all  the  country  about  the  Gallinas 
and  Cape  Mount,  and  extend  back  into  the  country  to 
the  distance  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  miles. 

The  Timanis  cultivate  the  soil  to  some  extent,  have 
small  herds  of  domestic  animals,  and  are  engaged  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  in  barter  with  the  English  colo 
nists  of  Sierra  Leone.  .  They  may  be  seen  in  large  num 
bers  about  the  streets  of  Free  Town,  wearing  a  large 
square  cotton  cloth  thrown  around  their  persons.  They 
are  strong  and  healthy  in  appearance,  but  have  a  much 

(101) 


102  THE  RISING  SON. 

less  intellectual  cast  of  countenance  than  the  Mandin- 
goes  or  Fulahs,  who  may  also  be  seen  in  the  same 
place.  Like  all  the  other  tribes  in  Africa,  especially  the 
pagans,  they  are  much  addicted  to  fetichism, — worship 
of  evil  spirits, — administering  the  red-wood  ordeal, 
and  other  ceremonies.  They  are  depraved,  licentious, 
indolent,  and  avaricious.  But  this  is  no  more  than 
what  may  be  said  of  every  heathen  tribe  on  the  globe. 

The  Veys,  though  not  a  numerous  or  powerful  tribe, 
are  very  intellectual,  and  have  recently  invented  an 
alphabet  for  writing  their  own  language,  which  has 
been  printed,  and  now  they  enjoy  the  blessings  of  a 
written  system,  for  which  they  are  entirely  indebted  to 
their  own  ingenuity  and  enterprise.  This  is  undoubt 
edly  one  of  the  most  remarkable  achievements  of  this 
or  any  other  age,  and  is  itself  enough  to  silence  for 
ever  the  cavils  and  sneers  of  those  who  think  so  con 
temptuously  of  the  intellectual  endowments  of  the  Afri 
can  race.  The  characters  used  in  this  system  are  all 
new,  and  were  invented  by  the  people  themselves 
without  the  aid  of  outsiders.  The  Veys  occupy  all 
I  the  country  along  the  sea-board  from  Gallinas  to  Cape 
Mount. 

In  stature,  they  are  about  the  ordinary  height,  of 
slender,  but  graceful  figures,  with  very  dark  complex 
ions,  but  large  and  well-formed  heads. 

As  the  Veys  are  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Liberia, 
that  government  will  be  of  great  service  to  them.  The 
Biassagoes,  the  Bulloms,  the  Dego,  and  the  Gola,  are 
also  inhabitants  of  the  Sierra  Leone  coast.  Other 
tribes  of  lesser  note  are  scattered  all  along  the  coast, 
many  of  which  have  come  under  the  good  influence  of 
the  Liberian  government.  Cape  Coast  Castle ,  the  strong- 


WESTERN   AND   CENTRAL    AFRICA.  103 

hold  of  the  English  on  the  African  coast,  has,  in  past 
years,  been  a  place  of  great  importance.  It  was  from 
this  place  that  its  governor,  Sir  Charles  McCarthy, 
went  forth  to  the  contest  with  the  Ashantees,  a  warlike 
tribe,  and  was  defeated,  losing  his  life,  together  with 
that  of  seven  others. 

Here,  at  this  castle,  "L.  E.  L.,"  the  gifted  poetess 
and  novelist  of  England,  died,  and  was  buried  within 
the  walls.  This  lamented  lady  married  Captain  McLean, 
the  governor-general  of  the  castle,  and  her  death 
caused  no  little  comment  at  the  time,  many  blaming 
the  husband  for  the  wife's  death. 

The  Kru  people  are  also  on  the  coast,  and  have  less 
general  intelligence  than  the  Fulahs,  Mandingoes,  and 
Degos.  They  are  physically  a  fine-appearing  race,  with 
more  real  energy  of  character  than  either  of  the  others. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  find  better  specimens  of  mus 
cular  development,  men  of  more  manly  and  independ 
ent  carriage,  or  more  real  grace  of  manner,  anywhere 
in  the  world.  No  one  ever  comes  in  contact  with 
them,  for  the  first  time,  without  being  struck  with 
their  open,  frank  countenances,  their  robust  and  well- 
proportioned  forms,  and  their  independent  bearing, 
even  when  they  have  but  the  scantiest  covering  for 
their  bodies. 

Their  complexion  varies  from  the  darkest  shade  of 
the  Negro  to  that  of  the  true  mulatto.  Their  features 
are  comparatively  regular;  and,  though  partaking  of 
all  the  characteristics  of  the  Negro,  they  are  by  no 
means  strongly  marked  in  their  general  outline  or  de 
velopment.  The  most  marked  deficiency  is  in  the 
formation  of  their  heads,  which  are  narrow  and  peaked, 
and  do  not  indicate  a  very  high  order  of  intellectual 


104  THE  RISING  SON. 

endowment.  Experience,  however,  has  shown  that 
they  are  as  capable  of  intellectual  improvement  as  any 
other  race  of  men.* 

In  the  interior  of  Youeba.  some  distance  back  from 
Cape  Coast,  lies  the  large  city  of  Ibaddan,  a  place 
with  a  population  of  about  two  hundred  thousand 
souls.  Abeokuta  has  a  population  of  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand,  and  is  about  seventy-five  miles 
from  the  sea  coast,  with  a  history  that  is  not  without 
interest.  Some  fifty  years  ago,  a  few  persons  of  dif 
ferent  tribes,  who  had  been  constantly  threatened  and 
annoyed  by  the  slave-traders  of  the  coast,  fled  to  the 
back  country,  hid  away  in  a  large  cave,  coming  out 
occasionally  to  seek  food,  and  taking  in  others  who 
sought  protection  from  these  inhuman  men-hunters. 

This  cavern  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Ogun, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  became  the  hiding-place  of 
great  numbers  from  the  surrounding  country.  At 
first,  they  subsisted  on  berries,  roots,  and  such  other 
articles  of  food  as  they  could  collect  near  their  place 
of  retreat;  but  growing  in  strength  by  the  increase  of 
population,  they  began  to  bid  defiance  to  their  ene 
mies. 

A  slave-hunting  party  from  Dahomey,  having  with 
them  a  considerable  number  of  captives,  passing  the 
cavern,  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  add  to  their 
wealth,  and  consequently,  made  an  attack  upon  the  set 
tlers.  The  latter  came  forth  in  large  force  from  their 
hiding-place,  gave  battle  to  the  traders,  defeated  them, 
capturing  their  prisoners  and  putting  their  enemies  to 
flight.  The  captives  were  at  once  liberated,  and  joined 
their  deliverers.  In  the  course  of  time  this  settlement 

*Wilson's  "Western  Africa." 


WESTERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.         105 

took  the  name  of  Abeokuta.  These  people  early 
turned  their  attention  to  agriculture  and  mauufactur- 
irg,  and  by  steady  increase  in  population,  it  soon 
became  a  city  of  great  wealth  and  importance.  About 
thirty  years  ago,  a  number  of  recaptives  from  Sierra 
Leone,  who  had  formerly  been  taken  from  this  region 
of  country,  and  who  had  been  recaptured  by  the  Eng 
lish,  liberated  and  educated,  visited  Lagos  for  trade. 
Here  they  met  many  of  their  old  friends  and  relations 
from  Abeokuta,  learned  of  the  flourishing  town  that 
had  grown  up,  and  with  larger  numbers  returned  to 
swell  the  population  of  the  new  city. 

The  King  of  Dahomey  watched  the  growing  power  of 
Abeokuta  with  an  evil  eye,  and  in  1853,  he  set  in  mo 
tion  a  large  army,  with  the  view  of  destroying  this 
growing  city,  and  reducing  its  inhabitants  to  slavery. 
The  King  made  a  desperate  attack  and  assault  upon 
the  place,  bujb  he  met  with  a  resistance  that  he  little 
thought  of.  The  engagement  was  carried  on  outside  of 
the  walls  for  several  hours,  when  the  Dahomian  army 
was  compelled  to  give  way,  and  the  King  himself 
was  saved  only  by  the  heroism  and  frantic  manner  in 
which  he  was  defended  by  his  Amazons.  This  success 
of  the  people  of  Abeokuta  gave  the  place  a  reputa 
tion  above  what  it  had  hitherto  enjoyed,  and  no  in 
vading  army  has  since  appeared  before  its  walls. 

Much  of  the  enterprise  and  improvement  of  these 
people  is  owing  to  the  good  management  of  Shodeke, 
their  leader.  Coming  from  all  sections  near  the 
coast,  and  the  line  of  the  slave-traders,  representing 
the  remnants  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  towns,  these 
people,  in  the  beginning,  were  anything  but  united. 
Shodeke  brought  them  together  and  made  them  feel  as 


106  THE    RISING   SON. 

one  family.  This  remarkable  man  had  once  been  cap 
tured  by  the  slave-traders,  but  had  escaped,  and  was  the 
first  to  suggest  the  cave  as  a  place  of  safety.  Through 
out  Sierra  Leone,  Abeokuta,  and  the  Yoruba  country 
generally  the  best-known  man  in  connection  with  the 
African  civilization,  is  Mr.  Samuel  Crowther,  a  native, 
and  who,  in  the  Yoruba  language,  was  called  Adgai. 
He  was  embarked  as  a  slave  on  board  a  slaver  at 
Badagry,  in  1822.  The  vessel  was  captured  by  a 
British  man-of-war  and  taken  to  Sierra  Leone.  *  Here 
he  received  a  good  education,  was  converted,  and  be 
came  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  after  which  he  returned 
to  his  native  place. 

Mr.  Crowther  is  a  man  of  superior  ability,  and  his 
attainments  in  learning  furnish  a  happy  illustration  of 
the  capacity  of  the  Negro  for  improvements.  Daliomey 
is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  powerful  of  all  thr  gov 
ernments  on  the  west  coast.  The  Kin<*  is  the  most 
absolute  tyrant  in  the  world,  owning  all  the  land,  the 
people,  and  everything  that  pertains  to  his  domain. 
The  inhabitants  are  his  slaves,  and  the}'  must  come  and 
go  at  his  command.  The  atrocious  cruelties  that  are  con 
stantly  perpetrated  at  the  command  and  bidding  of  this 
monarch,  has  gained  for  him  the  hatred  of  the  civilized 
world;  and  strange  to  say,  these  deeds  of  horror  ap 
pear  to  be  sanctioned  by  the  people,  who  have  a  super 
stitious  veneration  for  their  sovereign,  that  is  without 
a  parallel.  Abomi,  the  capital  of  Dahomey,  has  a  large 
population,  a  fort,  and  considerable  trade.  The  King 
exacts  from  all  the  sea-port  towns  on  this  part  of  the 
coast,  and  especially  from  Popo,  Porto.  Novo,  and 
Badagry,  where  the  foreign  slave-trade,  until  within 


WESTERN    AND    CENTRAL    AFRICA.  107 

a  very  short  period,  was  carried  on  as  in  no  other  part 
of  Africa. 

The  Dahomian  soldiery,  for  the  past  two  hundred 
years,  have  done  little  less  than  hunt  slaves  for  the 
supply  of  the  traders. 

The  English  blockading  squadron  has  done  great 
service  in  breaking  up  the  slave-trade  on  this  part  of 
the  coast,  and  this  has  turned  the  attention  of  the  peo 
ple  to  agriculture.  The  country  has  splendid  natural 
resources,  which  if  properly  developed,  will  make  it  one 
of  the  finest  portions  of  Western  Africa.  The,  soil  is 
rich,  the  seasons  are  regular,  and  the  climate  favorable 
for  agricultural  improvements.  Indian  corn,  yams, 
potatoes,  manico,  beans,  ground-nuts,  plantains,  and 
bananas  are  the  chief  products  of  the  country.  Cotton 
is  raised  to  a  limited  extent. 

The  practice  of  sacrificing  the  lives  of  human  beings 
upon  the  graves  of  dead  kings  evey  year  in  Dahomey, 
and  then  paving  the  palace  grounds  with  the  skulls  of 
the  victims,  has  done  much  to  decrease  the  population 
of  this  kingdom.  As  many  as  two  thousand  persons 
have  been  slaughtered  on  a  single  occasion.  To  obtain 
the  required  number,  wars  have  been  waged  upon  the 
surrounding  nations  for  months  previous  to  the  sacri 
fice.  There  is  no  place  where  there  is  more  intense 
heathenism;  and  to  mention -no  other  feature  in  their 
superstitious  practice,  the  worship  of  snakes  by  the 
Dahomians  fully  illustrates  this  remark. 

A  building  in  the  centre  of  the  town  is  devoted  to 
the  exclusive  use  of  reptiles,  and  they  may  be  seen 
here  at  any  time  in  great  numbers.  They  are  fed,  and 
more  care  taken  of  them  than  of  the  human  inhabitants 
of  the  place.  If  they  are  found  straying  away  they 


108  THE    RISINO    SON. 

must  be  brought  back;  and  at  the  sight  of  them  the 
people  prostrate  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  do 
them  all  possible  reverence.  To  kill  of  injure  one  of 
them  is  to  endure,  the  penalty  of  death.  On  certain 
days  they  are  taken  out  by  the  priests  or  doctors,  and 
paraded  about  the  streets,  the  bearers  allowing  them 
to  coil  themselves  around  their  arms,  necks,  and  bodies, 
and  even  to  put  their  heads  into  the  carriers'  bosoms. 

They  are  also  employed  to  detect  persons  who^are 
suspected  of  theft,  witchcraft,  and  murder.  If  in 
the  hands  of  the  priest  they  bite  the  suspected  person, 
it  is  sure  evidence  of  his  guilt;  and  no  doubt  the  ser 
pent  is  trained  to  do  the  will  of  his  keeper  in  all  cases. 
Images  called  greegrees,  of  the  most  uncouth  shape  and 
form,  may  be  seen  in  all  parts  of  the  town,  and  are 
worshipped  by  everybody. 

In  every  part  of  Africa,  polygamy  is  a  favorite  in 
stitution.  In  their  estimation  it  lies  at  the  vory  foun 
dation  of  all  social  order,  and  society  would  scarcely  be 
worth  preserving  without  it.  The  highest  aspiration 
that  the  most  eminent  African  ever  rises  to,  is  to  have 
a  large  number  of  wives.  His  happiness,  his  reputa 
tion,  his  influence,  his  position  in  .society,  and  his 
future  welfare,  all  depend  upon  it.  In  this  feeling 
the  women  heartily  concur ;  for  a  woman  would  much 
rather  be  the  wife  of  a  man  who  had  fifty  others,  than 
to  be  the  sole  representative  of  a  man  who  had  not 
force  of  character  to  raise  himself  above  the  one- 
woman  level. 

The  consequence  is,  that  the  so-called  wives  are  little 
better  than  slaves.  They  have  no  purpose  in  life  other 
than  to  administer  to  the  wants  and  gratify  the  passions 


WESTERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.      *   109 

of  their  lords,  who  are  masters  and  owners,  rather  than 
husband*). 

In  nearly  every  nation  or  tribe,  the  wife  is  purchased ; 
and  as  this  is  done  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  when 
she  is  but  a  child,  her  wishes,  as  a  matter  of  course,  are 
never  consulted  in  this  most  important  affair  of  her 
whole  life. 

As  both  father  and  mother  hold  a  claim  on  the  dau«:h- 

o 

ter,  and  as  each  makes  a  separate  bargain  with  the  future 
son-in-law,  the  parent  generally  makes  a  good  thing  out 
of  the  sale.  The  price  of  a  wife  ranges  all  the  way  from 
the  price  of  a  cow  to  three  cows,  a  goat  or  a  sheep, 
and  some  articles  of  crockery-ware,  beads,  and  a  few 
other  trinkets.  Where  the  girl  is  bought  in  infancy, 
it  remains  with  the  parents  till  of  a  proper  age.  There 
are  no  widows,  the  woman  being  sold  for  life,  and 
becomes  the  wife  of  the  husband's  brother,  should  the 
former  die.  A  man  of  respectability  is  always  ex 
pected  to  provide  a  separate  house  for  each  cf  his 
wives.  Each  woman  is  mistress  of  her  own  household, 
provides  for  herself  and  her  children,  and  entertains 
her  husband  as  often  as  he  favors  her  with  his  com 
pany. 

The  wife  is  never  placed  on  a  footing  of  social 
equality  with  her  husband.  Her  position  is  a  menial 
one,  and  she  seldom  aspires  to  anything  higher  than 
merely  to  gratify  the  passions  of  her  husband.  She 
never  takes  a  seat  at  the  social  board  with  him. 

Men  of  common  standing  are  never  allowed  to  have  as 
many  wives  as  a  sovereign.  Both  the  Kings  of  Daho 
mey  and  Ashantee  are  permitted  by  law  to  have  three 
thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-three.  No  one 
is  allowed  to  see  the  King's  wives  except  the  King's 


I 

110      •  THE   RISING   SON. 

female  relatives,  or  such  messengers  as   he  may  send, 

and  even  these  must  communicate  with  them  through 

\ 

their  bamboo  walls.  Sometimes  they  go  forth  in  a 
body  through  the  streets,  but  are  always  preceded 
by  a  company  of  boys,  who  warn  the  people  to  run  out 
of  the  way,  and  avoid  the  unpardonable  offence  of  see 
ing  the  King's  wives.  The  men  especially,  no  matter 
what  their  rank,  must  get  out  of  the  way;  and  if  they 
have  not  had  sufficient  time  to  do  this,  they  must  fall 
flat  on  the  ground  and  hide  their  faces  until  the  proces 
sion  has  passed.  To  see  one  of  the  King's  wives, 
even  accidentally, is  a  capital  offence;  and  the  scene  of 
the  confusion  which  occasionally  takes  place  in  the 
public  market  in  consequence  of  the  unexpected  ap 
proach  of  the  royal  cortege,  is  said  to  be  ludicrous 
beyond  all  description. 

At  the  death  of  the  King,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  his 
wives  to  fall  upon  each  other  with  knives,  and  lacerate 
themselves  in  the  most  cruel  and  barbarous  manner ; 
and  this  work  of  butchery  is  continued  until  they  are 
forcibly  restrained.  Women  are  amongst  the  most 
reliable  and  brave  in  the  King's  army,  and  constitute 
about  one-third  of  the  standing  army  in  Ashautee  and 
Dahomey. 

One  of  the  most  influential  and  important  classes  in 
every  African  community  is  the  deybo,  a  set  of  pro 
fessional  men  who  combine  the  medical  and  priestly 
office  in  the  same  person.  They  attend  the  sick  and 
administer  medicines,  which  usually  consist  of  decoc 
tions  of  herbs  or  roots,  and  external  applications.  A 
doctor  is  expected  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to 
one  patient  at  a  time,  and  is  paid  only  in  case  of  suc 
cessful  treatment.  If  the  case  is  a  serious  one,  he  is 


WESTERN  AXD  CENTRAL  AFRICA.         Ill 

i 

expected  to  deposit  with  the  family,  as  a  security  for 
his  good  behavior  and  faithful  discharge  of  duty,  a 
bundle  of  hair  that  was  shorn  from  his  head  at  the 
time  he  was  inaugurated  into  office,  and  without 
which  he  could  have  no  skill  in  his  profession 
whatever. 

The  doctor  professes  to  hold  intercourse  with,  and 
have  great  influence  over  demons.  He  also  claims  to 
have  communications  fron\  God.  No  man  can  be 
received  into  the  conclave  without  spending  two  years 
or  more  as  a  student  with  some  eminent  member  of 
the  fraternity.  During  this  period  he  must  accompany 
his  preceptor  in  all  his  journey  ings,  perform  a  variety 
of  menial  services,  is  prohibited  from  shaving  his 
head,  washing  his  body,  or  allowing  water  to  be 
applied  to  him  in  any  way  whatever,  unless  perchance 
he  falls  into  a  stream,  or  is  overtaken  by  a  shower  of 
rain,  when  he  is  permitted  to  get  off  as  much  dirt  as 
possible  from  his  body.  The  doctor's  badge  of  office 
is  a  monkey's  skin,  which  he  carries  in  the  form  of  a 
roll  wherever  he  goes,  and  of  which  he  is  as  proud  as 
his  white  brother  of  his  sheep-skin  diploma. 

In  their  capacity  as  priests,  these  men  profess  to 
be  able  to  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils,  -and  do  all 
manner  of  things  that  other  people  are  incapable  of 
doing.  The  doctor  is  much  feared  by  the  common 
classes.  Xo  innovation  in  practice  is  allowed  by  these 
men.  A  rather  amusing*  incident  occurred  recently, 
which  well  illustrates  the  jealousy,  bigotry,  and  ignor 
ance  of  these  professionals. 

Mr.  Samuel  Crowther,  Jr.,  having  returned  from 
England,  where  he  had  studied  for  a  physician,  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  amongst  his  native 


112  THE    RISING   SON. 

people.  Tko  old  doctors  hearing  that  Crowther  was 
prescribing,  called  on  him  in  a  largo  delegation.  Mr. 
Crowther  received  the  committee  cordially;  heard 
what  they  had  to  say,  and  expressed  his  willingness  to 
obey,  provided  they  would  give  him  a  trial,  and  should 
find  him  deficient.  To  this  they  agreed;  and  a  time 
was  appointed  for  the  test  to  take  place.  On  the  day 
fixed,  the  regulars  appeared,  clothed  in  their  most 
costly  robes,  well  provided  with  charms,  each  holding 
in  his  hand  his  monkey's  skin,  with  the  head  most 
prominent. 

Mr.  Crowther  was  prepared  to  receive  them,  A 
table  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  on  it 
a  dish,  in  which  were  a  few  drops  of  sulphuric  acid,  so 
placed  that  a  slight  motion  of  the  table  would  cause  it 
to  flow  into  a  mixture  of  chlorate  of  potassa  and  white 
sugar.  An  English  clock  was  also  in  the  room,  from 
which  a  cock  issued  every  hour  and  crowed,  It  was 
arranged  that  the  explosion  from  the  dish,  and  the 
crowing  of  the  rooster,  should  take  place  at  the  same 
moment. 

The  whole  thing  was  to  be  decided  in  favor  of  the 
party  who  should  perform  the  greatest  wonder.  After 
all  were  seated,  Mr.  Crowther  made  a  harangue, 
and  requested  them  to  say  who  should  lead  off  in  the 

contest. 

i 

This  privilege  they  accorded  to  him.  The  doors 
were  closed,  the  curtains  drawn,  and  all  waited  in 
breathless  silence.  Both  the  hands  on  the  clock  were 
fast  approaching  the  figure  twelve.  Presently  the  cock 
came  out  and  began  crowing,  to  the  utter  astonishment 
of  the  learned  visitors.  Crowther  gave  the  table' a  jos 
tle;  and  suddenly,  from  the  midst  of  the  dish  burst  forth 


WESTERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.        113 

flame  and  a  terrible  explosion.  This  double  wonder 
was  too  much  for  these  sages.  The  scene  that  followed 
is  indescribable.  One  fellow  rushed  through  the 

o 

window  and  scampered ;  one  fainted  and  fell  upon  the 
floor;  another,  in  his  consternation,  overturned  chairs, 
tables,  and  everything  in  his  way,  took  refuge  in  the 
bedroom,  under  the  bed,  from  which  he  was  with 
difficulty  afterwards  removed. 

It  need  not  be  added  that  they  gave  no  more 
trouble,  and  the  practice  they  sought  to  break  up  was 
the  more  increased  for  their  pains.* 

In  Southern  Guinea,  and  especially  in  the  Gabnn 
country,  the  natives  are  unsurpassed  for  their  cunning 
and  shrewdness  in  trade;  and  even  in  everything  in 
the  way  of  dealing  with  strangers.  The  following 
anecdote  will  illustrate  how  easily  they  can  turn  mat 
ters  to  their  own  account. 

There  is  a  notable  character  in  the  Gabun,  of  the 
name  of  Cringy.  No  foreigner  ever  visits  the  river 
without  making  his  acquaintance;  and  all  who  do  so, 
remember  him'  forever  after.  He  speaks  English, 
French,  Portuguese,  and  at  least  half  a  dozen  native 
languages,  with  wonderful  ease.  He  is,  in  person,  a 
little,  old,  grey-headed,  hump-backed  man,  with  a 
remarkably  bright,  and  by  no  means  unpleasant  eye. 
His  village  is  perched  on  a  high  bluff  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Gabun  River,  near  its  outlet.  He  gener 
ally  catches  the  first  sight  of  vessels  coming  in,  and 
puts  off  in  his  boat  to  meet  the  ship.  If  the  captain 
has  never  been  on  the  coast  before,  Cringy  will  make  a 
good  thing  out  of  him,  unless  he  has  been  warned  by 
other  sailors.  The  cunning  African  is  a  pilot;  and 

*  "A  Pilgrimage  to  my  Motherland."     Campbell. 


114  THE    RISING    SON. 

after  he  brings  a. vessel  in  and  moors  her  opposite 
his  town  by  a  well-known  usage,  it  is  now  Cringy's. 
He  acts  as  interpreter;  advises  the  captain;  helps  to 
make  bargains,  and  puts  on  airs  as  if  the  ship  be 
longed  to  him.  If  anybody  else  infringes  on  his 
rights  in  the  slightest  degree,  he  is  at  once  stigmatized 
as  a  rude  and  ill-mannered  person.  Cringy  is  sure  to 
cheat  everyone  he  deals  with,  and  has  been  seized  half 
a  dozen  times  or  more  by  men-of-war,  or  other  vessels, 
and  put  in  irons.  But  he  is  so  adroit  with  his  tongue, 
and  so  good-natured  and  humorous,  that  he  always 
gets  clear. 

The  following  trick  performed  by  him,  will  illustrate 
the  character  of  the  man. 

Some  years  ago,  the  French  had  a  fight  with  the 
natives.  After  reducing  the  people  near  the  mouth 
of  the  river  to  obedience  by  the  force  of  arms,  Com 
modore  B —  proposed  to  visit  King  George's  towns, 
about  thirty  miles  higher  up  the  river,  with  the  hope 
of  getting  them  to  acknowledge  the  French  authority 
without  further  resort  to  violence.  In  order  to  make  a 
favorable  impression,  he  determined  to  take  his  squad 
ron  with  him.  His  fleet  consisted  of  two  large  sloops- 
of-war  and  a  small  vessel.  As  none  of  the  French 
could  speak  the  native  language,  and  none  of  King 
George's  people  could  speak  French,  ,it  was  a  matter 
of  great  importance  that  a  good  interpreter  should  be 
employed.  It  was  determined  that  Cringy  was  the 
most  suitable  man.  He  was  sent  for,  accepted  the  offer 
at  once— for  Cringy  himself  had  something  of  impor 
tance  at  stake  — and  resolved  to  profit  by  this  visit. 

One  of  Cringy's  wives  was  the  daughter  of  King 
George;  and  this  woman,  on  account  of  ill-treatment, 


WESTERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.        115 

had  fled  and  gone  back  into  her  father's  country.  All 
his  previous  efforts  to  get  his  wife  had  failed.  And 
now  when  the  proposition  came  from  the  commodore, 
the  thought  occurred  to  Cringy  that  he  could  make 
himself  appear  to  be  a  man  of  great  influence  and 
power.  The  party  set  out  with  a  favoring  wind  and 
tide,  and  were  soon  anchored  at  their  place  of  destina 
tion.  AYith  a  corps  of  armed  marines,  the  commodore 
landed  mid  proceeded  to  the  King's  palace. 

The  people  had  had  no  intimation  of  such  a  visit, 
and  the  sudden  arrival  of  this  armed  body  produced 
a  very  strong  sensation,  and  all  eyes  were  on  Cringy, 
next  to  the  commodore,  for  he  was  the  only^pne  that 
could  explain  the  object  of  the  expedition.  King 
George  and  his  council  met  the  commodore,  and 
Cringy  was  instructed  to  say  that  the  latter  had  come 
to  have  a  friendly  talk  with  the  King,  with  the  view  of 
establishing  amicable  relations  between  him  and  the 
King  of  France,  and  would  be  glad  to  have  his  sig 
nature  to  a  paper  to  that  effect.  Now  was  Cringy 's 
moment;  and  he  acted  his  part  well. 

The  wily  African,  with  the  air  of  one  charged  with 
a  very  weighty  responsibility,  said:  "King  George, 
the  commodore  is  very  sorry  that  you  have  not  re 
turned  my  wife.  He  wishes  you  to  do  it  now  in  a 
prompt  and  quiet  manner,  and  save  him  the  trouble 
and  pain  of  bringing  his  big  guns  to  bear  upon  your 
town." 

King  George  felt  the  deepest  indignation;  not 
so  much  against  the  commodore,  as  Cringy,  for  resort 
ing  to  so  extraordinary  a  measure  to  compel  him 
to  give  up  his  daughter.  But  he  concealed  the  emo 
tions  of  his  heart,  and,  without  the  slightest  change 


116  THE   RISING   SON. 

of  countenance,  but  with  a  firm  and  determined  tone 
of  voice,  he  said  to  his  own  people,  "Go  out  quietly 
and  get  your  guns  loaded;  and  if  one  drop  of  blood 
is  shed  here  to-day,  be  sure  that  not  one  of  these 
Frenchmen  get  back  to  their  vessels.  But  be  sure 
and" — he  said  it  with  great  emphasis,  "let  Cringy  be 
the  first  man  killed." 

This  was  more  than  Cringy  had  bargained  for.  And 
how  is  he  to  get  out  of  this  awkward  scrape?  The 
lion  has  been  aroused,  and  how  shall  he  be  pacified? 
But  this  is  just  the  position  to  call  out  Cringy 's 
peculiar  gift,  and  he  set  to  work  in  the  most  penitent 
terms.  He  acknowledged,  and  begged  pardon  for  his 
rash,  unadvised  counsel;  reminded  his  father-in-law' 
that  they  were  all  liable  to  do  wrong  sometimes,  and 
that  this  was  the  most  grievous  error  of  his  whole  life. 
And  as  to  the  threat  of  the  commodore,  a  single  word 
from  him  would  be  sufficient  to  put  a  stop  to  all  hostile 
intentions. 

The  wrath  of  the  King  was  assuaged.  The  com 
modore,  however,  by  this  time  had  grown  impatient 
to  know  what  was  going  on,  and  especially,  why  the 
people  had  left  the  house  so  abruptly.  With  the 
utmost  self-possession,  Cringy  replied  that  the  people 
had  gone  to  catch  a  sheep,  which  the  King  had  ordered 
for  the  commodore's  dinner;  and  as  to  signing  the 
paper,  that  would  be  done  when  the  commodore  was 
ready  to  take  his  departure.  And  to  effect  these  two 
objects,  Cringy  relied  wholly  upon  his  own  power  of 
persuasion. 

True  enough  the  sheep  was  produced  and  the  paper 
was  signed.  King  George  and  the  French  commodore 
parted  good  friends,  and  neither  of  them  knew  for 


WESTERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.        117 

« 

more  than  a  month  after,  the  double  game  which 
Cringy  had  played;  and  what  was  more  remarkable 
than  all,  Cringy  was  rewarded  by  the  restoration  of 
his  wife.* 

*  "Western  Africa."     Wilson. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE    SLAVE-TRADE. 

i 

THE  slave-trade  has  been  the  great  obstacle  to  the 
civilization  of  Africa,  the  development  of  her  re 
sources,  and  the  welfare  of  the  Negro  race.  The  pros 
pect  of  gain,  which  this  traffic  held  out  to  the  natives, 
induced  one  tribe^to  make  war  upon  another,  burn  the 
villages,  murder  the  old,  and  kidnap  the  young.  In 
return,  the  successful  marauders  received  in  payment 
gunpowder  and  rum,  two  of  the  worst  enemies  of  an 
ignorant  and  degraded  people. 

Fired  with  ardent  spirits,  and  armed  with  old  mus 
kets,  these  people  would  travel  from  district  to 
district,  leaving  behind  them  smouldering  ruins,  heart- 
stricken  friends,  and  bearing  with  them  victims  whose 
market  value  was  to  inflame  the  avaricious  passions  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  new  world. 

WTiile  the  enslavement  of  one  portion  of  the  people 
of  Africa  by  another  has  been  a  custom  of  many  cen 
turies,  to  the  everlasting  shame  and  disgrace  of  the 
Portuguese,  it  must  be  said  they  were  the  first  to  en 
gage  in  the  foreign  slave-trade.  As  early  as  the  year 
1503,  a  few  slaves  wore  sent  from  a  Portuguese  set- 

(118) 


THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  119 

tlement  in  Africa  into  the  Spanish  colonies  in  Amer 
ica.  In  1511  Ferdinand,  the  fifth  king  of  Spain, 
permitted  them  to  be  carried  in  great  numbers. 

Ferdinand,  however,  soon  saw  the  error  of  this,  and 
ordered  the  trade  to  be  stopped.  At  the  death  of  the 
King,  a  proposal  was  made  by  Bartholomew  de  las 
Cassas,  the  bishop  of  Chiapa,  to  Cardinal  Ximenes, 
who  held  the  reins  of  the  government  of  Spain  till 
Charles  Y.  came  to  the  throne,  for  the  establishment 
of  a  regular  system  of  commerce  in  the  persons  of 
the  native  Africans.  The  cardinal,  however,  with  a 
foresight,  a  benevolence,  and  a  justice  which  will, 
always  do  honor  to  hisjnemory,  refused  the  proposal; 
not  only  judging  it  to  be  unlawful  to  consign  innocent 
people  to  slavery  at  all,  but  to  be  very  inconsistent  to 
deliver  the  inhabitants  of  one  countrv  over  for  the 

«/ 

benefit  of  another. 

Charles  soon  came  to  the  throne,  the  cardinal  died, 
and  in  1517  the  King  granted  a  patent  to  .one  of  his 
•Flemish  favorites,  containing  an  exclusive  right  of  im 
porting  four  thousand  Africans  into  the  islands  St. 
Domingo,  Porto  Rico,  Cuba,  and  Jamaica.  In  1562 
the  English,  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
commenced  the  importation  of  African  slaves,  which 
were  taken  to  Hispaniola  by  Sir  John  Hawkins.  The 
trade  then  became  general.  The  French  persuaded 
Louis  XIII.,  then  King  of  France,  that  it  would  be 
aiding  the  cause  of  Christianity  to  import  the  Afri 
cans  into  the  colonies,  where  thev  could  be  converted 

tt 

to  the  Christian  religion ;  and  the  French  embarked  in 
the  trade. 

The  Dutch  were  too  sharp-eyed   to  permit   such  an 
opportunity  to  fill  their  coffers  to  pass  by,  so  they  fol- 


120  THE   RISING   SON. 

lowed  the  example  set  by  the  Portuguese,  the  English, 
and  the  French.  The  trade  being  considered  lawful 
by  all  countries,  and  especially  in  Africa,  the  means 
of  obtaining  slaves  varied  according  to  the  wishes  of 
the  traders. 

Some  whites  travelled  through  the  country  as  far 
as  it  was  practical,  and  bartered  goods  for  slaves, 
chaining  them  together,  who  followed  their  masters 
from  town  to  town  until  they  reached  the  coast,  wheie 
they  were  sold  to  the  owners  of  ships.  Others  located 
themselves  on  the  coast  and  in  the  interior,  and 
bought  the  slaves  as  they  were  brought  in  for  sale. 

A  chief  of  one  of  the  tribes  of  the  Guinea  coast, 
who  had  been  out  on  a  successful  marauding  expedi 
tion,  in  which  he  had  captured  some  two  hundred 
slaves,  took  them  to  the  coast,  sold  his  chattels  to  the 
captain  of  a  vessel,  and  was  invited  on  board  the  ship. 
The  chief  with  his  three  sons  and  attendants  had 
scarcely  reached  the  deck  of  the  ship  when  they 
were  seized,  hand-cuffed,  and  placed  with  the  other 
Negroes,  which  enabled  the  captain  to  save  the  pur 
chase  money,  as  well  as  adding  a  dozen  more  slaves 
to  his  list. 

Had  this  happened  in  the  nineteenth  century,  k 
would  have  been  pronounced  a  "Yankee  trick.'/ 

Some  large  ships  appeared  at  the  slave-trading 
towns  on  the  coast,  ready  to  convey  to  the  colonies 
any  slaves  whose  owners  might  see  fit  to  engage  them. 
Their  cargoes  would  often  be  made  up  of  the  slaves  of 
half  a  dozen  parties,  on  which  occasions  the  chattels 
would  sometimes  become  mixed,  and  cause  a  dispute 
as  to  the  ownership.  To  avoid  this,  the  practice  of 
branding  the  slaves  on  the  coast  before  shipping  them, 


THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  121 


was  introduced.  Branding  a  human  being  on  the 
naked  body,  the  hot  iron  hissing  in  the  quivering 
flesh,  the  cries  and  groans  of  the  helpless  creatures, 
were  scenes  enacted  a  few  years  ago,  and  which  the 
African  slave-trader  did  not  deny. 

There  on  a  rude  mat,  spread  upon  the  ground, 
A  stalwart  Negro  lieth  firmly  bound  ; 
His  brawny  chest  one  brutal  captor  smites, 
And  notice  to  the  ringing  sound  invites; 
Another  opes  his  mouth  the  teeth  to  show, 
As  cattle-dealers  aye  are  wont  to  do. 
Hark,  to  that  shrill  and  agonizing  cry! 
Gaze  on  that  upturned,  supplicating  eye  ! 

How  the  flesh  quivers,  and  how  shrinks  the  frame, 
As  the  initials  of  her  owner's  name 
Burn  on  the  back  of  that  Mandingo  girl; 
Yet  calmly  do  the  smoke-wreaths  upward  curl 
From  his  cigar,  whosejiglit  unfaltering  hand 
Lights  with  a  match  the  cauterizing  brand, 
The  while  his  left  doth  the  round  shoulder  clasp, 
And  hold  his  victim  in  a  vise-like  grasp. 

As  cruel  as  was  the  preparation  before  leaving  their 
native  land,  it  was  equalled,  if  not  surpassed,  by  the 
passage  on  shipboard.  Two  thousand  human  beings 
put  on  a  vessel  not  capable  of  accommodating  half  that 
number;  disease  breaking  out  amongst  the  slaves, 
when  but  a  few  clays  on  the  voyage;  the  dead  and  the 
dying  thrown  overboard,  and  the  cries  and  groans 
coming  forth  from  below  decks  is  but  a  faint  picture 
of  the  horrid  trade. 

"All  ready?"  cried  the  captain; 
"Ay,  ay!"  the  seamen  said;  • 
"Heave  up  the  worthless  lubbers — 
The  dying  and  the  dead." 


122  THE  RISING  SON. 

Up  from  the  slave-ship's  prison 

Fierce,  bearded  heads  were  thrust ; 
"Now  let  the  sharks  look  to  it — 
Toss  up  the  dead  ones  first!" 

Slave-factories,  or  trading-pens,  were  established  up 
and  clown  the  coast.  And  although  England  for  many 
years  kept  a  fleet  in  African  waters,  to  watch  and 
break  up  this  abomjnable  traffic,  the  swiftness  of 
the  slavers,  and  the  adroitness  of  their  pilots,  enabled 
them  to  escape  detection  by  gaining  hiding-places  in 
some  of  the  small  streams  on  the  coast,  or  by  turning 
to  the  ocean  until  a  better  opportunity,  offered  itself 
for  landing. 

Calabar  and  Bonny  were  the  two  largest  slave-markets 
on  the  African  coast.  From  these  places  alone  twenty 
thousand  slaves  were  shipped,  in  the  year  1806.  It 
may  therefore  be  safe  to  say,  that  fifty  thousand  slaves 
were  yearly  sent  into  the  «colonies  at  this  period ;  or 
rather,  sent  from  the  coast,  for  many  thousands  who 
were  shipped,  never  reached  their  place  of  destination. 
During  the  period  when  this  traffic  was  carried  on 
without  any  interference  on  the  part  of  the  British 
government,  caravans  of  slaves  were  marched  down 
to  Loango  from  the  distance  of  several  hundred 
miles,  and  each  able-bodied  man  was  required  to  bring 
down  a  tooth  of  ivory.  In  this  way  a  double  traffic 
was  carried  on;  that  in  ivory  by  the  English  and 
American  vessels,  and  the  slaves  by  the  Portuguese. 

All  who  have  investigated  the  subject,  know  that  the 
rivers  Benin,  Bonny,  Brass,  Kalabar,  and  Kameruns, 
were  once  the  chief  seats  of  this  trade.  It  is  through 
these  rivers  that  the  Niger  discharges  itself  into  the 
ocean;  and  as  the  factories  near  the  mouths  of  these  d if- 


THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  123 

ferent  branches  had  great  facility  of  access  to  the  heart 
of  Africa,  it  is  probable  that  the  traffic  was  carried  on 
more  vigorously  here  than  anywhere  else  on  the  coast. 

But  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade  by  England,  and 
the  presence  of  the  British  squadron  on  the  coast,  has 
nearly  broken  up  the  trade. 

The  number  of  vessels  now  engaged  in  carrying  on 
a  lawful  trade  in  these  rivers  is  between  fifty  and 
sixty;  and  so  decided  are  the  advantages  reaped  by 
the  natives  from  this  change  in  their  commercial 
affairs,  that  it  is  not  believed  they  would  ever  revert 
to  it  again,  even  if  all  outward  restraints  were  taken 
away.  So  long  as  the  African  seas  were  given  up  to 
piracy  and  the  slave-trade,  and  the  aborigines  in 
consequence  were  kept  in  constant  excitement  and 
warfare,  it  was  almost  impossible  either  to  have 
commenced  or  continued  a  missionary  station  on  the 
coast  for  the  improvement  of  the  natives.  And  the  fact 
that  there  was  none  anywhere  between  Sierra  Leone 
and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  previous  to  the  year  1832, 
shows  that  it  was  regarded  as  impracticable.* 

Christianity  does  not  invoke  the  aid  of  the  sword; 
but  when  she  can  shield  from  the  violence  of  lawless 
men  by  the  intervention  of  "the  powers  that  be,"  or 
when  the  providence  of  God  goes  before  and  smoothes 
down  the  waves  of  discord  and  strife,  she  accepts  it  as 
a  grateful  boon,  and  discharges  her  duty  with  greater 
alacrity  and  cheerfulness. 

Throughout  all  the  region  where  the  slave-trade  was 
once  carried  on,  there  is  great  decline  in  business, 
except  where  that  traffic  has  been  replaced  by  legiti 
mate  commerce  or  agriculture.  !Nor  could  it  well  be 

*  Wilson's  "Western  Africa." 


124  THE  RISING  SON. 


otherwise.  The  very  measures  which  were  employed 
in  carrying  on  this  detestable  traffic  at  least  over 
three-fourths  of  the  country,  were  in  themselves  quite 
sufficient  to  undermine  any  government  in  the  world. 
For  a  long  term  of  years  the  slaves  were  procured 
on  the  part  of  these  larger  and  more  powerful  gov 
ernments  by  waging  war  against  their  feebler  neigh 
bors  for  this  express  purpose;  and  in  this  way  they 
not  only  cut  off  all  the  sources  of  their  own  prosperity 
and  wealth,  but  the  people  themselves,  while  waging 
this  ruthless  and  inhuman  warfare,  were  imbibing 
notions  and  principles  which  would  make  it  impossi 
ble  for  them  to  cohere  long  as  organized  nations. 

The  bill  for  the  abolition  of  the  British  slave-trade 
received  the  royal  assent  on  March  25,  1807;  and  this 
law  came  into  operation  on  and  after  January  1,  1808. 
That  was  a  deed  well  done;  and  glorious  was  the 
result  for  humanity.  To  William  Wilberforce,  Thomas 
Clarkson,  Granville  Sharp,  and  a  few  others,  is  the 
credit  due  for  this  great  act. 

Although  the  slave-trade  was  abolished  by  the  British 
government,  and  afterwards  by  the  American  and  some 
other  nations,  the  slave-trade  still  continued,  and  exists 
even  at  the  present  clay,  in  a  more  limited  form, 
except,  perhaps,  in  Northern  and  Central  Africa,  and 
on  the  Nile.  In  that  section  the  trade  is  carried  on  in 
the  most  gigantic  manner.  \t  begins  every  year  in  the 
month  of  August,  when  the  traders  prepare  for  a  large 
haul. 

All  the  preparations  having  been  completed,  they 
ascend  the  Nile  in  a  regular  squadron.  .  Every  expe 
dition  means  war;  and,  according  to  its  magnitude,  is 
provided  with  one  hundred  to  one  thousand  arm?d 


THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  125 

men.  The  soldiers  employed  consist  of  the  miserable 
Dongolowie,  who  carry  double-barrelled  shot-guns  and 
knives,  and  are  chiefly  noted  for  their  huge  appetites 
and  love  of  m?trissa  (beer) .  Each  large  dealer  has  his 
own  territory,  and  he  resents  promptly  any  attempt 
of  another  trader  to  trespass  thereon. 

For  instance,  Agate,  the  most  famous  of  all  African 
slave-traders,  knew,  and  his  men  frequently  visited, 
the  Victoria  Nyanza,  long  before  Speke  ever  dreamed 
of  it.  Agate's  station  is  now  near  the  Nyanza,  and  he 
keeps  up  a  heavy  force  there,  as  indeed  he  does  at  all 
his  stations.  When  the  expedition  is  ready,  it  moves 
slowly  up  to  the  Neam-Neam  country,  for  instance, 
and  if  one  tribe  is  hostile  to  another,  he  joins  with 
the  strongest  and  takes  his  pay  in  slaves.  Active 
spies  are  kept  in  liberal  pay  to  inform  him  of  the 
number  and  quality  of  the  young  children;  and  when 
the  chief  believes  he  can  steal  one  hundred  he 
settles  down  to  work,  for  that  figure  means  four 
thousand  dollars.  He  makes  a  landing  with  his 
human  hounds,  after  having  reconnoitred  the  posi 
tion, —  generally  in  the  night  time.  At  dawn  he 
moves  forward  on  the  village,  and  the  alarm  is  spread 
among  the  Negroes,  who  herd  together  behind  their 
aboriginal  breastplates,  and  fire  clouds  of  poisoned 
arrows.  The  trader  opens  with  musketry,  and  then 
begins  a  general  massacre  of  men,  women,  and  chil 
dren.  The  settlement,  surrounded  by  inflammable 
grass,  is  given  to  the  flames,  and  the  entire  habitation 
is  laid  in  ashes.  Probably  out  of  the  wreck  of  one 
thousand  charred  and  slaughtered  people,  his  reserve 
has  caught  the  one  hundred  coveted  women  and  chil 
dren,  who  are  flying  from  death  in  wild  despair. 


126  THE    RISING    SON. 

They  are  yoked  together  by  a  long  pole,  and  marched 
off  from  their  homes  forever.  One-third  of  them  may 
have  the  small-pox;  and  then  with  this  infected  cargo 
the  trader  proceeds  to  his  nearest  station. 

Thence  the  Negroes  are  clandestinely  sent  across 
the  desert  to  Kordofan,  whence  they  are  dispersed 
over  Lower  Egypt  and  other  markets.  It  not  imfre- 
quently  happens  that  the  Negroes  succeed  in  killing 
their  adversaries  in  these  combats.  But  the  blacks 
here  are  not  brave.  They  generally  fly  after  a  loss  of 
several  killed,  except  with  the  Neam-Neams,  who 
always  fight  with  a  bravery  commensurate  with  their 
renown  as  cannibals. 

The  statistics  of  the  slave-trade  are  difficult  to  obtain 
with  absolute  accuracy,  but  an  adequate  approximation 
may  be  reached.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  annual 
export  of  slaves  from  the  country  lying  between  the 
Eed  Sea  and  the  Great  Desert  is  twenty -five  thousand  a 
year,  distributed  as  follows:  From  Abyssinia,  carried 
to  Jaffa  or  Gallabat,  ten  thousand;  issuing  by  other 
routes  of  Abyssinia,  five  thousand;  by  the  Blue  Nile, 
three  thousand;  by  the  White  Nile,  seven  thousand. 
To  obtain  these  twenty-five  thousand  slaves  and  sell 
them  in  market,  more  than  fifteen  thousand  are  annually 
killed,  and  often  the  mortality  reaches  the  terrible 
figure  of  fifty  thousand.  It  is  a  fair  estimate  that 
fifty  thousand  children  are  stolen  from  their  parents 
every  year.  Of  the  number  forced  into  slavery,  fifteen 
thousand  being  boys  and  ten  thousand  girls,  it  is 
found  that  about  six  thousand  go  to  Lower  Egypt, 
two  thousand  are  made  soldiers,  nine  thousand  con 
cubines,  five  hundred  eunuchs,  five  thousand  cooks 
or  servants,  while  ten  thousand  eventually  die  from 


THE    SLATE-TRADE.  127 

the  climate,  nnd  three  thousand  obtain  their  papers  of 
freedom.  They  are  dispersed  over  three  million 
square  miles  of  territory,  and  their  blood  finally 
mingles  with  that  of  the  Turk,  the  Arab,  and  the 
European.  The  best  black  soldiers  tire  recruited  from 
the  Diukas,  who  are  strong,  handsome  Negroes,  the 
finest  of  the  White  Nile.  The  other  races  are  thickly 
built  and  clumsy,  and  are  never  ornamental;  the  Abys- 
sinians,  for  whatever  service  and  of  whatever  class, 
excel  all  their  rival  victims  in  slavery.  They  are  quiet 
and  subdued,  and  seldom  treacherous  or  insubordinate. 
They  prefer  slavery,  many  of  them,  to  freedom,  be 
cause  they  have  no  aspirations  that  are  inordinate. 
The  girls  are  delicate,  and  not  built  for  severe  labor. 
Though  born  and  bred  in  a  country  where  concubines 
are  as  legitimate  and  as  much  honored  as  wives,  they 
revolt  against  the  terrors  of  polygamy. 

In  Abyssinia  there  is  a  feature  of  the  slave -com 
merce  which  does  iiot  seem  to  exist  elsewhere.  The 
natives  themselves  enslave  their  own  countrymen  and 
countrywomen.  Since  the  death  of  Theodore,  the 
country  has  been  the  scene  of  complex  civil  war.  Each 
tribe  is  in  war  against  its  neighbor;  and  when  the  issue 
comes  to  a  decisive  battle,  the  victor  despoils  his  an 
tagonist  of  all  his  property,  makes  merchandise  of  the 
children,  and  forwards  them  to  the  Egyptian  post  of 
Gallabat,  where  they  find  a  ready  and  active  market. 
All  along  the  frontier  there  is  no  attempt  to  prevent 
slavery.  It  exists  with  the  sanction  of '.the  officials, 
and  by  their  direct  co-operation.  Another  profession 
is  that  of  secret  kidnappers.  The  world  knows  little 
how  much  finesse  and  depravity  and  duplicity  are 

required  in  this  business.     The  impression  is  abroad, 

• 


128  THE    RISING    SON. 

that  the  slave-trade  provokes  nothing  more  than  mur 
der,  theft,  arson,  and  rape.  But  it  is  a  disgraceful  fact 
that  some  traders  habitually  practice  the  most  inhuman 
deception  to  accomplish  their  end.  They  frequently 
settle  down  in  communities  and  households  in  the  guise 
of  benefactors,  and  while  so  situated  they  register  each 
desirable  boy  and  girl,  and  afterward  conspire  to  kid 
nap  or  kill  them,  as  chance  may  have  it.  Such  is  the 
story  of  the  African  slave-trade  of  to-day. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

THE  REPUBLIC  OF  LIBERIA. 

THE  Republic  of  Liberia  lies  on  the  west  coast  of 
Africa,  and  was  settled  by  emigrants  from  the  United 
States  in  1822. 

The  founders  of  this  government  met  with  many 
obstacles:  First,  disease;  then  opposition  from  the 
natives;  all  of  which,  however,  they  heroically  over 
come. 

The  territory  owned  by  the  Liberian  government 
extends  some  six  hundred  miles  along  the  West  Afri 
can  coast,  and  reaches  back  indefinitely  towards  the 
interior,  the  native  title  to  which  has  been  fairly  pur 
chased. 

It  has  brought  within  its  elevating  influence  at  least 
two  hundred  thousand  of  the  native  inhabitants,  who 
are  gradually  acquiring  the  arts,  comforts,  and  conven 
iences  of  civilized  life.  It  has  a  regularly-organized 
government,  modelled  after  our  own,  with  all  the 
departments  in  successful  operation.  Schools,  sem 
inaries,  a  college,  and  some  fifty  churches,  belonging 
to  seven  different  denominations,  are  in  a  hopeful  con 
dition.  Towns  and  cities  are  being  built  where  once 
9  (129) 


130  THE   RISING   SON. 

the  slave-trade  flourished  with  all  its  untold  cruelty, 
bloodshed,  and  carnage.  Agriculture  is  extending, 
and  commerce  is  increasing.  The  Republic  of  Liberia 
numbers  to-day  among  its  civilized  inhabitants,  about 
thirty  thousand  persons,  about  fifteen  thousand  of 
which  are  American  Liberians;  that  is,  those  who  have 
emigrated  from  the  United  States  with  their  descend- 

o 

ants.  More  than  three  hundred  thousand  aborigines 
reside  within  the  territory  of  Liberia,  and  arc  brought 
more  or  less  directly  under  the  influence  and  control 
of  her  civilized  institutions.  There  are  churches  in 
the  Republic,  representing  different  denominations, 
with  their  Sunday  Schools  and  Bible  classes,  and 
contributing  something  every  week  for  missionary 
purposes.  The  exports  in  the  year  18(36,  amounted 
to  about  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  undeveloped  capacities  for  trade,  no  one  can 
estimate.  With  a  most  prolific  soil,  and  a  climate 
capable  of  producing  almost  every  variety  of  tropical 
fruit,  the  resources  of  the  land  are  beyond  computa 
tion.  A  sea-coast  line,  six  hundred  miles  in  length, 
and  an  interior  stretching  indefinitely  into  the  heart  of 
the  country,  offer  the  most  splendid  facilities  for  for 
eign  commerce. 

For  a  thousand  miles  along  the  coast,  and  two  hun 
dred  miles  inland,  the  influence  of  the  government  has 
been  brought  to  bear  upon  domestic  slavery  among  the 
natives,  and  upon  the  extirpation  of  the  slave-trade, 
until  both  have  ceased  to  exist. 

The  interior  presents  a  country  inviting  in  all  its 
aspects;  a  fine,  rolling  country,  abounding  in  streams 
and  rivulets;  forests  of  timber  in  great  variety,  abun 
dance,  and  usefulness;  and  I  have  no  doubt  quite  salu- 


THE    REPUBLIC    OF   LIBERIA.  131 

brious,  being  free  from  the  miasmatic  influences  of  the 
mangrove  swamps  near  the  coast. 

The  commercial  resources  of  Liberia,  even  at  the 
present  time,  though  scarcely  commenced  to  be  devel 
oped,  are  of  sufficient  importance  to  induce  foreigners, 
American  and  European,  to  locate  in  the  Republic  for 
the  purposes  of  trade;  and  the  agricultural  and  com 
mercial  sources  of  wealth  in  Western  and  Central 
Africa  are  tar  beyond  the  most  carefully-studied  spec 
ulation  of  those  even  who  are  best  acquainted  with  the 
nature  and  capacity  of  the  country.  The  development 
of  these  will  continue  to  progress,  and  must,  in  the 
very  nature,  of  things,  secure  to  Liberia  great  com 
mercial  importance;  and  this  will  bring  her  citizens 
into  such  business  relations  with  the  people  of  other 
portions  of  the  world  as  will  insure  to  them  that  con 
sideration  which  wealth,  learning,  and  moral  worth 
never  fail  to  inspire. 

From*  the  beginning,  the  people  of  Liberia,  with  a 
commendable  zeal  and  firmness,  pursued  a  steady 
purpose  towards  the  fulfilment  of  the  great  object  of 
their  mission  to  Africa.  They  have  established  on  her 
shores  an  asylum  free  from  political  oppression,  and 
from  all  the  disabilities  of  an  unholy  prejudice;  they 
have  aided  essentially  in  extirpating  the  slave-trade 
from  the  whole  line  of  her  western  coast;  they  have 
introduced  the  blessings  of  civilization  and  Chris 
tianity  among  her  heathen  population,  and  by  their 
entire  freedom  from  all  insubordination,  or  disregard 

*  * — - 

of  lawful  authority,  and  by  their  successful  diplomacy 
with  England,  France,  and  Spain,  on  matters  involv 
ing  very  perplexing  international  questions,  they  have 


132  THE    RISING    SON. 

indicated  some  ability,  at  least  for  self-government 
and  the  management  of  their  own  public  affairs. 

The  banks  of  the  St.  Paul's,  St.  John's,  Siuoe,  and 
Farmingtou  Kivers,  and  of  the  Kiver  Cavalla,  now 
teeming  with  civilized  life  and  industry,  presenting 
to  view  comfortable  Christian  homes,  inviting  school- 
houses  and  imposing  church  edifices,  but  for  the 
founding  of  Liberia  wrould  have  remained  until  this 

o 

day  studded  with  slave-barracoons,  the  theatres  of 
indescribable  suffering,  wickedness,  and  shocking 
deaths. 

Liberia  is  gradually  growing  in  the  elements  of  na 
tional  stability.  The  natural  riches  of  that  region  are 
enormous,  and  are  such  as,  sooner  or  later,  will  sup 
port  a  commerce,  to  which  that  at  present  existing  on 
the  coast  is  merely  fractional.  The  Liberians  own  and 
run  a  fleet  of  " coasters,"  collecting  palm-oil,  cam 
wood,  ivory,  gold-dust,  and  other  commodities.  A 
schooner  of  eighty  tons  was  built,  costing  eleven 
thousand  dollars,  and  loaded  in  the  autumn  of  1866,  at 
New  York,  from  money  and  the  proceeds  of  African 
produce  sent  for  that  purpose  by  an  enterprising  mer 
chant  of  Grand  Bassa  County. 

A  firm  at  Monrovia  are  having  a  vessel  built  in 
one  of  the  ship-yards  of  New  York  to  cost  fifteen 
thousand  dollars. 

An  intelligent  friend  has  given  us  the  following  a£ 
an  approximate  estimate  of  the  sugar-crop  on  the  St. 
Paul's  in  1866:  Sharp,  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou 
sand  pounds;  Cooper,  thirty  thousand  pounds;  Ander 
son,  thirty -five  thousand  pounds;  Rowland,  forty 
thousand  pounds;  Roe,  thirty  thousand  pounds; 
sundry  smaller  farmers,  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 


THE    REPUBLIC   OF   LIBERIA.  133 

% 

sand;  total,  five  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand 
pounds.  The  coffee-crop  also  is  considerable,  though 
we  are  not  able  to  state  how  much." 

During  the  year  1866,  not  less  than  six  hundred 
tons  of  cam-wood,  twelve  hundred  tons  of  palm-oil, 
and  tsvo  hundred  tons  of  palm-kernels,  were  included 
in  the  exports  of  the  Republic.  And  these  articles 
of  commercial  enterprise  and  wealth  are  capable  of 
being  increased  to  almost  any  extent. 

The  Colonization  Society,  under  whose  auspices 
the  colony  of  Liberia  was  instituted,  was,  as  the 
writer  verily  believes,  inimical  to  the  freedom  of  the 
American  slaves,  and  therefore  brought  down  upon  it 
the  just  condemnation  of  the  American  abolitionists, 
and  consequently  placed  the  people  in  a  critical  posi 
tion;  I  mean  the  colonists.  But  from  the  moment 
that  the  Liberians  in  1847  established  a  Republic, 
unfurled  their  national  banner  to  the  breeze,  and  began 
to  manage  their  own  affairs,  we  then  said,  "Cursed 
be  the  hand  of  ours  that  shall  throw  a  stone  at  our 
brother . ' ' 

Fortunately,  for  the  colony,  many  of  the  emigrants 
were  men  of  more  than  ordinary  ability;  men  who  went 
out  with  a  double  purpose;  first,  to  seek  homes  for 
themselves  and  families  out  of  the  reach  of  the  Amer 
ican  prejudice;  second,  to  carry  the  gospel  of  civiliza 
tion  to  their  brethren.  These  men  had  the  needed 
grit  and  enthusiasm. 

Moles,  Teage,  and  Johnson,  are  names  that  we  in  our 
boyhood  learned  to  respect  and  love.  Roberts „  Ben 
son,  Warner,  Crummell,  and  James,  men  of  more  recent 
times,  have  done  much  to  give  Liberia  her  deservedly 
high  reputation. 


134  THE    RISING    SON. 

• 

With  a  government  modelled  -after  our  own  consti 
tution  and  laws-,  that  are  an  honor  to  any  people,  and 
administered  by  men  of  the  genius  and  ability  which 
characterizes  the  present  ruling  power,  Liberia  is 
destined  to  hold  an  influential  place  in  the  history  of 
nations.  Her  splendid  resources  will  yet  be  developed ; 
her  broad  rivers  will  be  traversed  by  the  steamship, 
and  her  fertile  plains  will  yet  resound  to  the  thunder 
of  the  locomotive.  The  telegraph  wire  will  yet  catch 
up  African  news  and  deposit  it  in  the  Corn  Exchange, 
London,  and  Wall  Street,  New  York. 

That  moral  wilderness  is  yet  to  blossom  with  the 
noblest  fruits  of  civilization  and  the  sweetest  flowers  of 
religion.  She  will  yet  have  her  literature,  her  histo 
rians  and  her  poets.  Splendid  cities  will  rise  where 
now  there  are  nothing  but  dark  jungles. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

PROGRESS   IN   CIVILIZATION. 

IT  is  a  pleasing  fact  to  relate  that  the  last  fifty  years 
have  witnessed  much  advance  towards  civilization  in 
Africa;  and  especially  on  the  west  coast.  This  has 
resulted  mainly  from  the  successful  efforts  made  to 
abolish  the  slave-trade.  To  the  English  first,  and  to 
the  Liberians  next,  the  praise  must  be  given  for  the 
suppression  of  this  inhuman  and  unchristian  traffic. 
Too  much,  however,  cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  the 
missionaries,  men  and  women,  who,  forgetting  native 
land,  and  home-comforts,  have  given  themselves  to  the 
work  of  teaching  these  people,  and  thereby  carrying 
civilization  to  a  country  where  each  went  with  his  life 
in  his  hands. 

Amongst  the  natives  themselves,  in  several  of  the 
nations,  much  interest  is  manifested  in  thekr  own  eleva 
tion.  The  invention  of  an  alphabet  for  writing  their 
language,  by  the  Veys,  and  this  done  too  by  their 
own  ingenuity,  shows  remarkable  advancement  with  a 
race  hitherto  regarded  as  unequal  to  such  a  task.  . 

This  progress  in  civilization  is  confined  more  strictly 
to  the  Jalofs,  the  Mandingoes,  and  the  Fulahs,  inhabit- 

(135) 


136  THE  RISING    SON. 

ing  the  Senegambia,  and  the  Veys,  of  whom  I  have 
already  made  mention.  Prejudice  of  race  exists  among 
the  Africans,  as  well  as  with  other  nations.  This  is 
not,  however,  a  prejudice  of  color,  but  of  clan  or  tribe. 
The  J.ilofs,  for  instance,  are  said  by  travellers  to  be 
the  handsomest  Negroes  in  Africa.  They  are  proud, 
hauffhty,  and  boast  of  their  superiority  over  other 
tribes,  and  will  not  intermarry  with  them;  yet  they 
have  woolly  hair,  thick  lips,  and  flat  noses,  but  with 
tall  and  graceful  forms.  In  religion  they  are  Mo 
hammedans. 

Kev.  Samuel  Crowther  has  been  one  of  the  most 
successful  missionaries  that  the  country  has  yet  had. 
He  is  a  native,  which  no  doubt  gives  him  great  advan 
tage  over  others.  His  two  sons,  Josiah  and  Samuel. 

O  ' 

are  following  in  the  footsteps  of  their  illustrious 
father. 

The  influences  of  these  gentlemen  have  been  felt 
more  directly  in  the  vicinity  of  Lagos  and  Abeo- 
kuta.  The  Senior  Crowther  is  the  principal  Bishop 
in  Africa,  and  is  doing  a  good  work  for  his  denomi 
nation,  and  humanity. 

Native  eloquence,  and  fine  specimens  of  oratory  may 
be  heard  in  many  of  the  African  assemblies.  Their 
popular  speakers  show  almost  as  much  skill  in  the  use 
of  happy  illustrations,  striking  analogies,  pointed 
argument,  historical  details,  biting  irony,  as  any  set  of 
public  speakers  in  the  world;  and  for  ease,  graco,  and 
naturalness  of  manner,  they  are  perhaps  unsurpassed. 
The  audiences  usually  express  their  assent  by  a  sort 
of  grunt,  which  rises  in  tone,  an:l  frequently  in  pro 
portion,  as  the  speaker  becomes  animated,  and  not 
unfrequently  swells  out  into  a  tremendous  shout,  and 


PROGRESS    IX    CIVILIZATION.  137 

thus  terminates  the  discussion  in  accordance  with  the 
views  of  the  speaker.  He  has  said  exactly  what  was 
in  the  heart  of  the  assembly,  and  they  have  no  more  to 
say  or  hear  on  the  subject.*  Civilization  is  receiving 
an  impetus  from  the  manufacturing  of  various  kinds  of 
goods  as  carried  on  by  the  people  through  Africa,  and 
epecially  in  the  Egba,  Yoruba,  and  Senegambia  coun 
tries.  Iron-smelting  villages,  towns  devoted  entirely 
to  the  manufacturing  of  a  particular  kind  of  ware,  and 
workers  in  leather,  tailors,  weavers,  hat,  basket,  and 
mat-makers,  also  workers  in  silk  and  worsted  may  be 
seen  in  many  of  the  large  places. 

Some  of  these  products  would  compare  very  favor 
ably  with  the  best  workmanship  of  English  and  Amer 
ican  manufacturers. 

Much  is  done  in  gold,  silver,  and  brass,  and  jewelry 
of  a  high  order  is  made  in  the  more  civilized  parts  of 
the  country. 

The  explorations  of  various  travellers  through 
Africa,  during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  have  aided 
civilization  materially.  A  debt  of  gratitude  is  due 
to  Dr.  Livingstone  for  his  labors  in  this  particular 
field. 

I  have  already  made  mention  of  the  musical  talent 
often  displayed  in  African  villages,  to  the  great  sur 
prise  of  the  traveller. 

The  following  account  from  the  distinguished  ex 
plorer,  will  be  read  with  interest.  Dr.  Livingstone 
says:  "We  then  inquired  of  the  King  relative  to  his 
band  of  music,  as  we  heard  he  had  one.  He  re 
sponded  favorably,  saying  he  had  a  band,  and  it 
should  meet  and  play  for  us  at  once.  Not  many  min- 

.*  Wilson's  u Western  Africa." 


138  THE    RISING    SON. 

utes  elapsed  until  right  in  front  of  our  house  a  largo 
fire  was  kindled,  and  the  band  was  on  the  ground. 
They  began  to  play ;  and  be  assured  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  at  the  harmony  of  their  music.  The  band 
was  composed  of  eight  members,  six  of  whom  had 
horns,  made  of  elephant  tusks,  beautifully  carved  and 
painted.  These  all  gave  forth  different  sounds,  or 
tones.  The  bass  horn  was  made  of  a  large  tusk;  and 
as  they  ascended  the  scale  the  horns  were  less.  They 
had  a  hole  cut  into  the  tusk  near  its  thin  end,  into 
which  they  blew  the  same  as  into  a  flute  or  fife. 
They  had  no  holes  for  the  fingers,  hence  the  different 
tones  were  produced  by  the  lengths  of  the  horns,  and 
by  putting  the  hand  into  the  large,  open  part  of  the 
horn  and  again  removing  it.  I  noticed  that  one  small 
horn  had  the  large  end  closed  and  the  small  one 
open.  The  different  tones  were  produced  by  the 
performer  opening  and  closing  this  end  with  the  palm 
of  his  hand.  They  had  also  two  drums;  one  had  three 
heads  placed  on  hollow  sticks  or  logs,  from  one  to  two 
feet  long;  the  other  had  but  one  head;  they  beat  them 
with  their  hands,  not  sticks.  I  however  saw  a  large 
war-drum,  about  five  feet  high,  made  on  the  principle 
of  the  above,  which  was  beaten  with  sticks.  The  bund 
serenaded  us  three  times  during  our  stay.  They  played 
different  tunes,  and  there  was  great  variety  through 
out  their  performance;  sometimes  only  one  horn  was 
played,  sometimes  two  or -three,  and  then  all  would 
join  in;  sometimes  the  drums  beat  softly,  then  again 
loud  and  full.  The  horns  used  in  this  band  are  also 
used  for  war-horns. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  were  awakened  by  music, 
— a  human  voice  and  an  instrument — right  before   our 


PROGRESS    IN    CIVILIZATION.  139 

door.  "What  is  it?"  "A  guitar?"  "No;  but  it 
is  fine  music."  "Ah!  it  is  a  harp.  Let  us  invite 
him  in."  Such  conjectures  as  the  above  were  made 
as  the  old  man  stood  before  our  door  and  sang  and 
played  most  beautifully.  We  invited  him  in;  and 
true  enough,  we  found  it  to  be  a  species  of  harp  with 
twelve  strings.  He  sang  and  played  a  long  while,  and 
then  retired, — having  proven  to  us  that  even  far  out 
in  the  wild  jungles  of  Africa,  that  most  noble  of  all 
human  sciences  is  to  a  certain  degree  cultivated.  We 
were  serenaded  thrice  by  him.  He  came  from  far  in 
the  interior." 

One  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  civilization  in 
Africa,  is  the  traders.  These  pests  are  generally  of 
a  low  order  in  education,  and  many  of  them  have  fled 
from  their  own  country,  to  evade  the  punishment  of* 
some  crime  committed.  Most  of  them  are  foul-mouthed, 
licentious  men,  who  spread  immorality  wherever  they 
appear.  It  would  be  a  blessing  to  the  natives  if  niue- 
tenths  of  these  leeches  were  driven  from  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HAYTI . 

IN  sketching  an  account  of  the  people  of  Hayti,  and 
the  struggles  through  which  they  were  called  to  pass, 
we  confess  it  to  be  a  difficult  task.  Although  the 

o 

writer  visited  the  Island  thirty  years  ago,  and  has  read 
everything  of  importance  given  by  the  historians, 
it  is  still  no  easy  matter  to  give  a  true  statement  of 
the  revolution  which  placed  the  colored  people  in 
possession  of  the  Island,  so  conflicting  are  the  accounts. 

The  beautiful  island  of  St.  Domingo,  of  which  Hayti 
is  a  part,  was  pronounced  by  the  great  discoverer  to 
be  the  "Paradise  of  God." 

The  splendor  of  its  valleys,  the  picturesqueness  of 
its  mountains,  the  tropical  luxuriance  of  its  plains,  and 
the  unsurpassed  salubrity  of  its  climate,  confirms  the 
high  opinion  of  the  great  Spaniard.  Columbus  found 
on  the  Island  more  than  a  million  of  people  of  the  Car 
ibbean  race.  The  warlike  appearance  of  the  Spaniards 
caused  the  natives  to  withdraw  into  the  interior.  How 
ever,  the  seductive  genius  of  Columbus  soon  induced 
the  Caribbeans  to  return  to  their  tow^ns,  and  they 
extended  their  hospitality  to  the  illustrious  stranger. 

(140) 


HAYTI.  141 

After  the  <rreat  discoverer  had  been  recalled  home 

o 

and  left  the  Island,  Dovadillo,  his  successor,  began  a 
system  of  unmitigated  oppression  towards  the  Caribbe- 
ans,  and  eventually  reduced  the  whole  of  the  inhabit 
ants  to  slaver)';  and  thus  commenced  that  hateful  sin 
in  the  New  World.  As  fresh  adventurers  arrived  in 
the  Island,  the  Spanish  power  became  more  consoli 
dated  and  more  oppressive.  The  natives  were  made  to 
toil  in  the  gold-mines  without  compensation,  and  in 
many  instances  without  any  regard  whatever  to  the 
preservation  of  human  life;  so  much  so,  that  in  1507, 
the  number  of  natives  had,  by  hunger,  toil,  and  the 
sword,  been  reduced  from  a.  million  to  sixty  thousand. 
Thus,  in  the  short  space  of  fifteen  years,  more  than 
nine  hundred  thousand  perished  under  the  iron  hand  of 
slavery  in  the  island  of  St.  Domingo. 

The  Island  suffered  much  from  the  loss  of  its  origi 
nal  inhabitants;  and  the  want  of  laborers  to  till  the 
soil  and  to  work  in  the  mines,  first  suggested  the  idea 
of  importing  slaves  from  the  coast  of  Africa.  The 
slave-trade  was  soon  commenced  and  carried  on  with 
great  rapidity.  Before  the  Africans  were  shipped,  the 
name  of  the  owner  and  the  plantation  on  which  they 
were  to  toil  was  stamped  on  their  shoulders  with  a 
burning  iron.  For  a  number  of  years  St.  Domingo 
opened  its  markets  annually  to  more  than  twenty  thou 
sand  newly-imported  slaves.  With  the  advance  of 
commerce  and  agriculture,  opulence  spread  in  every 
direction.  The  <jreat  tide  of  immigration  from  France 

o  o 

and  Spain,  and  the  vast  number  of  Africans  imported 
every  year,  so  increased  the  population  that  at  the 
commencement  of  the  French  Revolution,  in  1789, 
there  were  nine  hundred  thousand  souls  on  the  Island. 


142  THE  RISING  SON. 

Of  these,  seven  hundred  thousand  were  Africans, 
sixty  thousand  mixed  blood,  and  the  remainder  were 
whites  and  Caribbeans.  Like  the  involuntary  servi 
tude  in  our  own  Southern  States,  slavery  in  St. 
Domingo  kept  morality  at  a  low  stand.  Owing  to  the 
amalgamation  between  masters  and  slaves,  there  arose 

O  ' 

the  mulatto  population,  which  eventually  proved  to  be 
the  worst  enemies  of  their  father's. 

Many  of  the  planters  sent  their  malatto  sons  to  France 
to  be  educated.  When  these  young  men  returned  to 
the  Island,  they  were  greatly  dissatisfied  at  the  pro 
scription  which  met  them  wherever  they  appeared. 
White  enough  to  make  them  hopeful  and  aspiring, 
many  of  the  mulattoes  possessed  wealth  enough  to  make 
them  influential.  Aware,  by  their  education,  of  the 
principles  of  freedom  that  were  being  advocated  in 
Europe  and  the  United  States,  they  were  ever  on  the 
watch  to  seize  opportunities  to  better  their  social 
and  political  condition.  In  the  French  part  of  the 
Island  alone,  twenty  thousand  whites  lived  in  the  midst 
of  thsrty  thousand  free  mulattoes  and  five  hundred 
thousand  slaves.  In  the  Spanish  portion,  the  odds 
were  still  greater  in  favor  of  the  slaves.  Thus  the 
advantage  of  numbers  and  physical  strength  was  on  the 
side  of  the  oppressed.  Right  is  the  most  dangerous  of 
weapons — woe  to  him  who  leaves  it  to  his  enemies! 

The  efforts  of  Wilberforce,  Sharp,  Buxton,  and 
Clarkson,  to  abolish  the  African  slave-trade,  and  their 
advocacy  of  the  equality  of  the  races,  were  well  under 
stood  by  the  men  of  color.  They  had  also  learned 
their  own  strength  in  the  Island,  and  that  they  had  the 
sympathy  of  all  Europe  with  them.  The  news  of  the 
oath  of  the  Tennis  Court,  and  the  taking  of  the  Bastile 


HAYTI.  143 

at  Paris,  was  received  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm  by 
the  people  of  St.  Domingo. 

The  announcement  of  these  events  was  hailed  with 
delight  by  both  the  white  planters  and  the  mulattoes; 
the  former,  because  they  hoped  the  revolution  in  the 
Mother  Country  would  secure  to  them  the  independence 
of  the  colony;  the  latter,  because  they  viewed  it  as  a 
movement  that  would  give  them  equal  rights  with  the 
whites;  and  even  the  slaves  regarded  it  as  a  precursor 
to  their  own  emancipation.  But  the  excitement  which 
the  outbreak  at  Paris  had  created  amongst  the  free 
men  of  color  and  the  slaves,  at  once  convinced  the 
planters  that  a  separation  from  France  would  be  the 
death-knell  of  slavery  in  St.  Domingo. 

Although  emancipated  by  law  from  the  dominion 
of  individuals,  the  mulattoes  had  no  rights;  shut  out 
from  society  by  their  color,  deprived  of  religious  and 
political  privileges,  they  felt  their  degradation  even 
more  keenly  than  the  bond  slaves.  The  mulatto  son 
was  not  allowed  to  dine  at  his  father's  table,  kneel 
with  him  in  his  devotions,  bear  his  name,  inherit  his 
property,  nor  even  to  lie  in  his  father's  graveyard. 
Laboring  as  they  were  under  the  sense  of  their 
personal  social  wrongs,  the  mulattoes  tolerated,  if 
they  did  not  encourage,  low  and  vindictive  passions. 
They  were  haughty  and  disdainful  to  the  blacks,  whom 
they  scorned,  and  jealous  and  turbulent  to  the  whites, 
whom  they  hated  and  feared. 

The  mulattoes  at  once  despatched  one  of  their  number 
to  Paris,  to  lay  before  the  Constitutional'  Assembly 
their  claim  to  equal  rights  with  the  whites.  Vincent 
Oge,  their  deputy,  was  well  received  at  Paris  by 
Lafayette,  Brisot,  Barnave,  and  Gregoire,  and  was 


144  THE  RISING  SON. 

admitted  to  a  seat  in  the  Assembly,  where  he  elo 
quently  portrayed  the  wrongs  of  his  race.  In  urging 
his  claims,  he  said  if  equality  was  withheld  from  the 
mulattoes,  they  would  appeal  to  force.  This  was 
seconded  by  Lafayette  and  Barnave,  who  said  :  "Perish 
the  Colonies,  rather  than  a  principle. " 

The  Assembly  passed  a  decree,  granting  the  demands 
of  the  men  of  color,  and  Oge  was  made  bearer  of  the 
news  to  his  brethren.  The  planters  armed  themselves, 
met  the  young  deputy  on  his  return  to  the  Island,  and 
a  battle  ensued.  The  free  colored  men  rallied  around 
Oge,  but  they  were  defeated  and  taken,  with  their  brave 
leader;  were  first  tortured,  and  then  broken  alive  on 
the  wheel. 

The  prospect  of  freedom  was  put  down  for  the  time, 
but  the  blood  of  Oge  and  his  companions  bubbled 
silently  in  the  hearts  of  the  African  race ;  they  swore 
to  avenge  them. 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  Oge  in  the  halls 
of  the  Assembly  at  Paris,  created  considerable  excite 
ment,  and  became  the  topic  of  conversation  in  the 
clubs  and  on  the  boulevards.  Gregoire  defended  the 
course  of  the  colored  men  and  said:  "If  liberty  was 
right  in  France,  it  was  right  in  St.  Domingo."  He 
well  knew  that  the  crime  for  which  Oge  had  suffered 
in  the  West  Indies,  had  constituted  the  glory  of  Mir- 
abeau  and  Lafayette  at  Paris,  and  Washington  and 
Hancock  in  the  United  States.  The  planters  in  the 
Island  trembled  at  their  own  oppressive  acts,  and 
terror  urged  them  on  to  greater  violence.  The  blood 
of  Oge  and  his  accomplices  had  sown  everywhere 
despair  and  conspiracy.  The  French  sent  an  army  to 
St.  Domingo  to  enforce  the  law. 


HAYTI.  145 

The  planters  repelled  with  force  the  troops  sent  out 
by  France,  denying  its  prerogatives,  and  refusing  the 
civic  oath.  In  the,  midst  of  these  thickening  troubles, 
the  planters  who  resided  in  France  were  invited  to 
return,  and  to  assist  in  vindicating  the  civil  indepen 
dence  of  the  Island.  Then  was  it  that  the  mulattoes 
earnestly  appealed  to  the  slaves,  and  the  result  was 
appalling.  The  slaves  awoke  as  from  an  ominous 
dream,  and  demanded  their  rights  with  sword  in  hand. 
Gaining  immediate  success,  and  finding  that  their 
liberty  would  not  be  granted  by  the  planters,  they 
rapidly  increased  in  numbers;  and  in  less  than  a  week 
from  its  commencement,  the  storm  had  swept  over  the 
whole  plain  of  the  north,  from  east  to  west,  and  from 
the  mountains  to  the  sea.  The  splendid  villas  mid 
rich  factories  yielded  to  the  furies  of  the  devouring 
flames;  so  that  the  mountains,  covered  with  smoke 
and  burning  cinders,  borne, upward  by  the  wind  looked 
like  volcanoes ;  and  the  atmosphere  as  if  on  fire,  resem 
bled  a  furnace. 

Such  were  the  outraged  feelings  of  a  people  whose 
ancestors  had  been  ruthlessly  torn  from  their  native 
land  and  sold  in  the  shambles  of  St.  Domingo.  To 
terrify  the  blacks  and  convince  them  that  they  could 
never  be  free,  the  planters  were  murdering  them  on 
every  hand  by  thousands. 

The    struinde    in   St.  Domingo  was   watched   with 

oo  o 

intense  interest  by  the  friends  of  the  blacks,  both  in 
Paris  and  in  London,  and  all  appeared  to  look  with 
hope  to  the  rising  up  of  a  black  chief,  who  should 
prove  himself  adequate  to  the  emergency.  Nor  did 
they  look  in  vain.  In  the  midst  of  the  disorder  that 
threatened  on  all  sides,  the  negro  chief  made  his 
10 


146  THE  RISING 

appearance  in  the  person  of  a  slave  named  Toussaint. 
This  man  was  the  grandson  of  the  King  of  Ardra,  one 
of  the  most  powerful  and  wealthy^  monarchs  on  the 
west  coast  of  Africa.  By  his  own  energy  and  perse 
verance,  Toussaint  had  learned  to  read  and  write,  and 
was  held  in  high  consideration  by  the  surrounding 
planters,  as  well  as  their  slaves. 

In  personal  appearance  he  was  of  middle  stature, 
strongly-marked  African  features,  well-developed  fore 
head,  rather  straight  and  neat  figure,  sharp  and  bright 
eye,  with  an  earnestness  in  conversation  that  seemed 

to  charm  the   listener.     His  dignified,  calm,  and  un- 

, 

affected  deme'anor  would  cause  him  to  be  selected  in 
any  company  of  men  as  one  who  was  born  for  a  leader. 

His  private  virtues  were  many,  and  he  had  a  deep 
and  pervading  sense  of  religion;  and  in  the  camp  car 
ried  it  even  as  far  as  Oliver  Cromwell.  Toussaint  was 
born  on  the  Island,  and  was  fifty  years  of  age  when 
called  into  the  field.  One  of  his  chief  characteristics 
was  his  humanity. 

Before  taking  any  part  in  the  revolution,  he  aided 
his  master's  family  to  escape  from  the  impending 
danger.  After  seeing  them  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
revolutionary  movement,  he  entered  the  army  as  an  in 
ferior  officer,  but  was  soon  made  aid-de-camp  to  Gen 
eral  Bissou.  Disorder  and  bloodshed  reisnied  through 

o  c 

the  Island,  and  every  day  brought  fresh  intelligence  of 
depredations  committed  by  whites,  mulattoes,  and 
blacks. 

Hitherto,  the  blacks  had  been  guided  by  Jean-Fran 
cois,  Bissou,  and  Jeannot.  The  first  of  these  was  a 
slave,  a  young  Creole  of  good  exterior;  he  had  long 
before  the  revolution  obtained  his  liberty.  At  the 


HAYTI.  147 

commencement  of  the  difficulties,  he  fled  to  the  moun 
tains  and  joined  the  Maroons,  a  large  clan  of  fugitive 
slaves  then  wandering  about  in  the  woods  and  moun 
tains,  that  furnished  this  class  a  secure  retreat.  This 
man  was  mild,  vain,  good-tempered,  and  fond  of 
luxury. 

Bissou  belonged  to  the  religious  body  designated 
"The  Fathers  of  Charity."  He  was  fiery,  wrathful, 
rash,  and  vindictive;  always  in  action,  always  on 
horseback,  with  a  white  sash,  and  feathers  in  his  hat, 
or  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  the  women,  of  whom 
he  was  very  fond.  Jeannot,  a  slave  of  the  plantation 
of  M.  Bullet,  was  small  and  slender  in  person,  and  of 
boundless  activity.  Perfidious  of  soul,  his  aspect  was 
frightful  and  revolting.  Capable  of  the  greatest 
crimes,  he  was  inaccessible  to  regret  or  remorse. 

Having  sworn  implacable  hatred  against  the  whites, 
he  thrilled  with  rage  when  he  saw  them;  and  his 
greatest  pleasure  was  to  bathe  his  hands  in  their  blood. 
These  three  were  the  leaders  of  the  blacks  till  the 
appearance  of  Toussaint;  and  under  their  rule,  the  cry 
was  "Blood,  blood,  blood!'1  Such  was  the  condition 
of  affairs  when  a  decree  was  passed  by  the  Colonial 
Assembly,  giving  equal  rights  to  the  mulattoes,  and 
asking  'their  aid  in  restoring  order  and  reducing  the 
slaves  again  to  their  chains.  Overcome  by  this  de 
cree,  and  having  gained  all  they  wished,  the  free 
colored  men  joined  the  planters  in  a  murderous  cru 
sade  against  the  slaves.  This  union  of  the  whites 

o 

and  mulattoes  to  prevent  the  bondman  getting  his 
freedom,  created  an  ill-feeling  between  the  two  pro 
scribed  classes,  which  seventy  years  have  not  been  able 
to  efface.  The  French  government  sent  a  second  army 


148  THE    RISING    SON. 

to  St.  Doiningo  to  enforce  the  laws,  giving  freedom 
to  the  slaves,  and  Toussaint  joined  it  on  its  arrival 
in  the  Island,  and  fought  bravely  against  the  planters. 

While  the  people  of  St.  Domingo  were  thus  fight 
ing  amongst  themselves,  the  revolutionary  movement 
in  France  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Robespierre 
and  Danton,  and  the  guillotine  was  beheading  its 
thousands  daily.  When  the  news  of  the  death  of 
Louis  XVI.  reached  St.  Domingo,  Toussaint  and  his 
companions  left  the  French  and  joined  the  Spanish 
army,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Island,  and  fought  for 
the  King  of  Spain..  Here  Toussaint  was  made  briga 
dier-general,  and  appeared  in  the  field  as  the  most 
determined  foe  of  the  French  planters. 

The  two  armies  met ;  a  battle  was  fought  in  the 
streets,  and  many  thousands  were  slain  on  both 
sides;  the  planters,  however,  were  defeated,  During 
the  conflict  the  city  was  set  on  fire,  and  on  every  side 
presented  shocking  evidence  of  slaughter,  conflagra 
tion,  and  pillage.  The  strifes  of  political  and  religious 
partisanship,  which  had  raged  in  the  clubs  and  streets 
of  Paris,  were  transplanted  to  St.  Domingo,  where 
they  raged  with  all  the  heat  of  a  tropical  clime,  and  the 
animosities  of  a  civil  war.  .Truly  did  the  flames  of  the 
French  revolution  at  Paris,  and  the  ignorance  and 
self-will  of  the  planters,  set  the  island  of  St.  Domingo 
on  fire.  The  commissioners  with  their  retinue 
retired  from  the  burning  city  into  the  neighboring 
highlands,  where  a  camp  was  formed  to  protect  the 
ruined  town  from  the  opposing  party.  Having  no 
confidence  in  the  planters,  and  fearing  a  reaction,  the 
commissioners  proclaimed  a  general  emancipation  to 
the  slave  population,  and  invited  the  blacks  who  had 


HAYTI.  149 

joined  the  Spaniards  to  return.  Toussaint  and  his  fol 
lowers  accepted  the  invitation,  returned,  and  were 
enrolled  in  the  army  under  the  commissioners.  Fresh 
troops  arrived  from  France,  who  were  no  sooner  in 
the  Island  than  they  separated — some  siding  with  the 
planters,  and  others  with  the  commissioners.  The 
white  republicans  of  the  Mother  Country  were  arrayed 
against  the  white  republicans  of  St.  Domingo,  whom 
they  were  sent  out  to  assist.  The  blacks  and  the 
mulattocs  were  at  war  with  each  other;  old  and  young 
of  both  sexes,  and  of  all  colors,  were  put  to  the  sword, 
while  the  fury  of  the  flames  swept  from  plantation  to 
plantation,  and  from  town  to  town. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

SUCCESS    OF   TOUSSATNT. 

DURING  these  sad  commotions,  Toussaint,  by  his 
superior  knowledge  of  the  character  of  his  race,  his 
humanity,  generosity,  and  courage,  had  gained  the 
confidence  of  all  whom  he  had  under  his  command. 
The  rapidity  with  which  he  travelled  from  post  to  post 
astorlished  every  one.  By  his  genius  and  surpassing 
activity,  Toussaint  levied  fresh  forces,  rasied  the  rep 
utation  of  the  army,  and  drove  the  English  and 
Spanish  from  the  Island. 

The  boiling  caldron  of  the  revolution  during  its 
progress,  had  thrown  upon  its  surface  several  new 
military  men,  whose  names  became  household  words  in 
St.  Domingo.  First  of  these,  after  Toussaint,  was 
Christophe,  a  man  of  pure  African  origin,  though  a 
native  of  New  Grenada.  *On  being  set  free  at  the  age 
of  fifteen,  he  came  to  St.  Domingo,  where  he  resided 
until  the  commencement  of  the  revolution.  He  had 
an  eye  full  of  fire,  and  a  braver  man  never  lived. 
Toussaint  early  discovered  his  good  qualities,  and  made 
him  his  lieutenant,  from  which  he  soon  rose  to  be  a 
general  of  division. 

(150) 


SUCCESS    OF    TOUSSAIXT.  151 

As  a  military  man,  Christophe  was  considered  far 
superior  to  Toussaint;  and  his  tall,  slim  figure,  dressed 
in  the  uniform  of  a  general,  was  hailed  with  enthu 
siasm  wherever  he  appeared. 

Next  to  Christophe  was  Dessalines.  No  one  who 
took  part  in  the  St.  Domingo  revolution  has  been  so 
severely  censured  as  this  chief.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  difficulties,  Dessalines  was  the  slave  of  a  house 
carpenter,  with  whom  he  had  learned  the  trade.  He 
was  a  small  man,  of  muscular  frame,  and  of  a  dingy 
black.  lie  had  a  haughty  and  ferocious  look.  Hun 
ger,  thirst,  fatigue,  and  loss  of  sleep  he  seemed 
made  to  endure,  as  if  by  peculiarity  of  constitution, 
Dessalines  was  not  a  native  of  either  of  the  West 
India  Islands,  for  the  marks  upon  his  arms  and  breast, 
and  tlie  deep  furrows  and  incisions  on  his  face, 
pointed  out  the  coast  of  Africa  as  his  birth-place. 
Inured  by  exposure  and  toil  to  a  hard  life,  his  frame 
possessed  a  wonderful  power  of  endurance.  By  his 
activity  and  singular  fierceness  on  the  field  of  battle, 
he  first  attracted  the  attention  of  Toussaint,  who 
placed  him  amongst  his  guides  and  attendants,  and 
subsequently  advanced  him  rapidly  through  several 
grades,  to  the  dignity  of  third  in  command.  A  more 
courageous  man  never  appeared  upon  the  battle-field. 
What  is  most  strange  in  the  history  of  Dessalines  is,* 
that  he  was  a  savage,  a  slave,  a  soldier,  a  general, 
and  died  when  an  emperor. 

Among  the  rnulattoes  were  several  valiant  chiefs. 
The  ablest  of  these  was  Eigaud,  the  son  of  a  wealthy 
planter.  Having  been  educated  at  Paris,  his  manner 
was  polished,  and  his  language  elegant.  Had  he  been 


152  THE  RISING   SON. 

born  in  Asia,  Rigaud  would  have  governed  an  empire, 
for  he  had  all  the  elements  of  a  great  man. 

In  religion  he  was  the  very  opposite  of  Toussaint. 
An  admirer  of  Voltaire  and  Rousseau,  he  had  made 
their  works  his  study.  A  long  residence  in  Paris 
had  enabled  him  to  become  acquainted  with  many  of 
the  followers  of  these  two  distinguished  philosophers. 

He  had  seen  two  hundred  thousand  persons  follow 
ing  the  bones  of  Voltaire,  when  removed  to  the  Pan 
theon;  and,  in  his  admiration  for  the  great  writer,  had 
confounded  liberty  with  infidelity. 

Rigaud  was  the  first  amongst  the  mulattoes,  and 
had  sided  with  the  planters  in  their  warfare  against  the 
blacks.  But  the  growing  influence  of  this  chief  early 
spread  fear  in  the  ranks  of  the  whites,  which  was 
seen  and  felt  by  the  mulattoes  everywhere.  • 

In  military  science,  horsemanship,  and  activity. 
Iligaud  was  the  first  man  on  the  Island,  of  any  color, 
Toussaint  bears  the  following  testimony  to  the  great 
skill  of  the  mulatto  general:  "I  know  Rigaud  well. 
He  leaps  from  his  horse  when  at  full  gallop,  and  he 
puts  all  his  force  in  his  arm  when  he  strikes  a  blow." 
He  was  boundless  in  resources  as  he  was  brave  and 
daring.  High-tempered  and  irritable,  he  at  times 
appeared  haughty.  The  charmed  power  that  he 
held  over  the  men  of  his  color  can  scarcely  be  de 
scribed.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  he 
headed  the  mulattoes  in  his  native  town,  and  soon 
drew  around  him  a  formidable  body  of  men.  Rigaud 's 
legion  was  considered  to  be  by  far  the  best  drilled 
and  most  reliable  in  battle  of  all  the  troops  raised 
on  the  Island. 

The   mulattoes   were   now   urging   their  claims   to 


SUCCESS    OF   TOUSSAIXT.  153 

citizenship  and  political  enfranchisement,  by  arming 
themselves  in  defence  of  their  rights;  the  activity  and 
talent  of  their  great  leader,  Eigaud,  had  been  the 
guidance  and  support  of  their  enterprise..  He  was 
hated  by  the  whites  in  the  same  degree  as  they  feared 
his  influence  with  his  race. 

The  unyielding  nature  of  his  character,  which  gave 
firmness  and  consistency  to  his  policy  while  control- 
ing  the  interest  of  h.is  brethren,  made  him  dear  to 
them. 

Intrigue  and  craftiness  could  avail  nothing  against 
the  designs  of  one  who  was  ever  upon  the  watch,  and 
who  had  the  means  of  counteracting  all  secret  attempts 
against  him ;  and  open  force  in  the  field  could  not  be 
successful  in  destroying  a  chieftain  whose  power  was 
often  felt,  but  whose  person  was  seldom  seen. 

Thus  to  accomplish  a  design  which  had  long  been 
in  contemplation,  the  whites  of  Aux  Cayes  were  now 
secretly  preparing  a  mine  for  Eigaud, — which,  though 
it  was  covered  with  flowers,  and  to  be  sprung  by  the 
hand  of  professed  friendship,  —  it  was  thought  would 
prove  a  sure  and  efficacious  method  of  ridding  them  of 
such  an  opponent,  and  destroying  the  pretensions  of 
the  rnulattoes  forever. 

It  was  proposed  that  the  anniversary  of  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  Bastile  should  be  celebrated  in  the  town 
by  both  whites  and  mulattoes,  in  union  and  gratitude. 
A  civic  procession  marched  to  the  church ,.  where  the 
Te  Deum  was  chanted  and  an  oration  pronounced  by 
citizen  Delpech.  The  Place  d'Armes  was  crowded 
with  tables  of  refreshments,  at  which  both  whites  and 
mulattoes  seated  themselves.  But  beneath  this  seem- 


154  THE   RISING   SON. 

ing  patriotism  and  friendship  a  dark  and  fatal  con 
spiracy  lurked,  plotting  treachery  and  death. 

It  had  been  resolved  that  at  a  preconcerted  signal 
every  white  at  the  table  should  plunge  his  knife 
into  the  bosom  of  the  mulatto  who  was  seated  near 
est  to  him.  Cannon  had  been  planted  around  the 
place  of  festivity,  that  no  fugitive  from  the  massacre 
should  have  the  means  of  escaping;  and  that  Rigaud 
should  not  fail  to  be  secured  as  the  first  victim  to 
a  conspiracy  prepared  especially  against  his  life,  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  national  guard  had  been 
placed  at  his  side,  and  his  murder  of  the  mulatto 
chieftain  was  to  be  the  signal  for  a  general  onset  upon 
all  his  followers. 

But  between  the  conception  and  the  accomplish 
ment  of  a  guilty  deed,  man's  native  abhorrence  of 
crime  often  interposes  many  obstacles  to  success.  The 
officer  to  whom  had  been  entrusted  the  assassination  of 
Rigaud,  found  it  no  small  matter  to  screw  his  courage 
up  to  the  ticking-place,  and  the  expected  signal  which 
he  was  to  display  in  blood  to  his  associates,  was  so 
long  delayed  that  secret  messengers  began  to  come  to 
him  from  all  parts  of  the  table,  demanding  why  exe 
cution  was  not  done  on  Rigaud.  Urged  on  by  these 
successive  appeals,  the  white  general  at  last  applied 
himself  to  the  fatal  task  which  had  been  allotted  him. 
But  instead  of  silently  plunging  his  dagger  into  the 
bosom  of  the  mulatto  chief,  he  sprang  upon  him  with 
a  pistol  in  his  hand,  and  with  a  loud  execration,  fired 
it  at  his  intended  victim.  But  -Rigaud  remained  un 
harmed,  and  in  the  scuffle  which  ensued  the  white 
assassin  was  disarmed  and  put  to  flight. 

The  astonishment  of   the   mulattoes  soon  gave  way 


SUCCESS    OF   TOUSSAIXT.  155 

to  tumult  and  indignation,  and  this  produced  a  drawn 
battle,  in  which  both  whites  and  mulattoes,  exasper 
ated  as  they  were  to  the  utmost,  fought  man  to  man. 

The  struggle  continued  fiercely,  until  the  whites 
were  driven  from  the  town,  having  lost  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  their  number,  and  slain  many  of  their 
opponents.  Tidings  of  this  conspiracy  flew  rapidly  in 
all  directions ;  and  such  was  the  indignation  of  the  mul 
attoes  at  this  attack  on  their  chief,  whose  death  had 
even  been  announced  in  several  places  as  certain,  that 
they  seized  upon  all  the  whites  within  their  reach,  and 
their  immediate  massacre  was  only  prevented  by  the 
arrival  of  intelligence  that  Rigaud  was  still  alive.* 

The  hostile  claims  of  Toussaiut  and  Rigaud,  who 
shared  between  them  the  whole  power  of  the  Island, 
soon  brought  on  a  bloody  struggle  between  the  blacks 
and  mulattoes. 

The  contest  was  an  unequal  one,  for  the  blacks 
numbered  five  hundred  thousand,  while  the  mulattoes 
were  only  thirty  thousand.  The  mulattoes,  alarmed 
by  the  prospect  that  the  future  government  of  the  Island 
was  likely  to  be  engrossed  altogether  by  the  blacks, 
thronged  from  all  parts  of  the  Island  to  join  the  ranks 
of  Rigaud.  As  a  people,  the  mulattoes  were  endowed 
with  greater  intelligence ;  they  were  more  enterprising, 
and  in  all  respects  their  physical  superiority  was  more 
decided  than  their  rivals,  the  blacks. 

They  were  equally  ferocious, -and  confident  as  they 
were  in  their  superior  powers,  they  saw  without  a 
thought  of  •discouragement  or  fear  the  enormous  dis- 

C  O 

parity  of  ten  to  one  in  the  respective  numbers  of 
their  adversaries  and  themselves.  Rigaud  began  the 

*  Brown's  History  of  Sant.  Domingo,  VqU  I.,  p.  257. 


156  THE    RISING    SON. 

war  by  surprising  Leogane,  where  a  multitude  of 
persons  of  every  rank  and  color  were  put  to  death 
without  mercy. 

Toussaint,  on  learning  this,  hastened  together  all  the 
troops  which  he  then  had  in  the  neighborhood  of  Port 
au  Prince,  and  ordered  all  the  mulattoes  to  assemble 
at  the  church  of  that  town,  where  he  mounted  the 
pulpit,  and  announced  to  them  his  intended  departure 
to  war  against  their  brethren.  He  said,  "I  see  into 
the  recesses  of  your  bosoms;  you  are  ready  to  rise 
against  me;  but  though  my  troops  are  about  to  leave 
this  province,  you  cannot  succeed,  for  I  shall  leave 
behind  me  both  my  eyes  and  my  arms ;  the  one  to  watch, 
and  the  other  to  reach  you."  At  the  close  of  this  ad 
monition,  threatening  as  it  was,  the  mulattoes  were 
permitted  to  leave  the  church,  and  they  retired,  awe 
struck  and  trembling  with  solicitude,  to  their  homes. 

The  forces  of  Rigaud,  fighting  under  the  eyes  of 
the  chief  whom  they  adored,  defended  with  vigor  the 
passes  leading  to  their  territory;  and  though  they  were 
but  a  handful,  in  comparison  with  the  hordes  who 
marched  under  the  banners  of  Toussaint,  their  brave 
exertions  were  generally  crowned  with  success. 

The  mulattoes  under  Rigaud,  more  skilled  in  the 
combinations  of  military  movements,  made  up  for  their 
deficiency  in  numbers  by  greater  rapidity  and  effect 
iveness  in  their  operations.  A  series  of  masterly 
manoeuvres  and  diversions  were  followed  up  in  quick 
succession,  which  kept  the  black  army  in  full  employ 
ment.  But  Toussaint  was  too  strong,  and  he  com 
pletely  broke  up  the  hopes  of  the  mulattoes  in  a 
succession  of  victories,  which  gave  him  entire  control 
of  the  Island,  except,  perhaps,  a  small  portion  of  the 


SUCCESS    OF    TOUSSAIXT.  157 

9 

South,  which  still  held  out.  Rigaud,  reduced  in  his 
means  of  defence,  had  the  misfortune  to  see  his  towns 
fall  one  after  another  into  the  power  of  Toussaint,  until 
he  was  driven  to  the  last  citadel  of  his  strength — the 
town  of  Aux  Cayes.  As  Le  thus  yielded  foot  by  foot, 
everything  was  given  to  desolation  before  it  was 
abandoned,  and  the  genius  of  Toussaint  was  completely 
at  fault  in  his  efforts  to  force  the  mulatto  general 
from  his  last  entrenchments. 

He  was  foiled  at  every  attempt,  and  his  enemy  stood 
immovably  at  bay,  notwithstanding  the  active  assaults 
and  overwhelming  numbers  of  his  foices. 

The  government  of  France  was  too  much  engaged  at 

C  £3    o 

home  with  her  own  revolution,  to  pay  any  attention  to 
St.  Domingo.  The  republicans  in  Paris,  after  getting 
rid  of  their  enemies,  turned  upon  each  other.  The 
revolution,  like  Saturn,  devoured  its  own  children; 
priest  and  people  were  murdered  upon  the  thresholds 
of  justice.  Marat  died  at  the  hands  of  Charlotte  Cor- 
day;  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette  were  guillo 
tined,  Robespierre  had  gone  to  the  scaffold,  and 
Bonaparte  was  master  of  France. 

The  conqueror  of  Egypt  now  turned  his  attention  to 
St.  Domingo.  It  was  too  important  an  island  to  be  lost 
to  France,  or  be  destroyed  by  civil  war;  and  through 
the  mediation  of  Bonaparte,  the  war  between  Toussaint 
and  Rigaucl  was  brought  to  a  close. 

With  the  termination  of  this  struggle,  every  vestige 
of  slavery,  and  all  obstacles  to  freedom,  disappeared. 
Toussaint  exerted  every  nerve  to  make  Hayti  what  it 
had  formerly  been.  He  did  everything  in  his  power  to 
promote  agriculture;  and  in  this  he  succeeded  beyond 
the  most  sanguine  expectations*  of  the  friends  of  free- 


158  THE   RISING  SON. 

* 

dom,  both  in  England  and  France.  Even  the  planters 
who  had  remained  on  the  Island  acknowledged  the 
prosperity  of  Hayti  under  the  governorship  of  the  man 
whose  best  days  had  been  spent  in  slavery. 

The  peace  of  Amiens  left  Bonaparte  without  a  rival 
on  the  continent,  and  with  a  large  and  experienced 
army  which  he  feared  to  keep  idle ;  and  he  determined 
to  send  a  part  of  it  to  St.  Domingo. 

The  army  for  the  expedition  to  St.  Domingo  was 
fitted  out,  and  no  pains  or  expense  spared  to  make  it 
an  imposing  one.  Fifty-six  ships  of  war,  with  twenty- 
five  thousand  men,  .left  France  for  Hayti.  It  was, 
indeed,  the  most  valiant  fleet  tliat  had  ever  sailed  from 
the  French  dominions.  The  Alps,  the  Nile,  the  Ehiue, 
and  all  Italy  had  resounded  with  the  exploits  of  the 
men  who  were  now  leaving  their  country  for  the 
purpose  of  placing  the  chains  again  on  the  limbs  of  the 
heroic  people  of  St.  Domingo.  There  were  men  in 
that  army  that  had  followed  Bonaparte  from  the  siege 
of  Toulon  to  the  battle  under  the  shades  of  the  pyra 
mids  of  Egypt, — men  who  had  grown  gray  in  the  camp. 
Among  them  were  several  colored  men,  who  had  distin 
guished  themselves  on  the  field  of  battle. 

There  was  E-igaud,  the  bravest  of  the  mulatto  chiefs, 
whose  valor  had  disputed  the  laurels  with  Touissant. 
There,  too,  was  Petion,  the  most  accomplished  scholar 
of  whom  St.  Domingo  could  boast;  and  lastly,  there 
was  Boyer,  who  was  destined  at  a  future  day  to  be 
President  of  the  Republic  of  Hayti.  These  last  three 
brave  men  had  become  dupes  and  tools  of  Bonaparte, 
and  wore  now  on  their  way  to  assist  in  reducing  the 
laud  01  their  birth  to  slavery. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

CAPTUKE    OF    TOUSSAINT. 

LE  CLEEC,  the  brother-in-law  of  Bonaparte,  the  man 
who  had  married  the  voluptuous  Pauline,  was  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  army.  Le  Clerc  was  not  himself 
a  man  of  much  distinction  in  military  affairs;  his  close 
relationship  with  the  ruler  of  France  was  all  that  he 
had  to  recommend  him  to  the  army  of  invasion.  But 
he  had  with  him  Rochambeau,  and  other  generals,  who 
had  few  superiors  in  arms.  Before  arriving  at  Hayti 
the  fleet  separated,  so  as  to  attack  the  island  on  differ 
ent  sides. 

News  of  the  intended  invasion  reached  St.  Domingo 
some  days  before  the  squadron  had  sailed  from  Brest; 
and  therefore  the  blacks  had  time  to  piepare  to  meet 
their  enemies.  Toussaint  had  concentrated  his  forces  at 
such  points  as  he  expected  would  be  first  attacked. 
Christophe  was  sent  to  defend  Cape  City,  and  Port  au 
Prince  was  left  in  the  hands  of  Dessalines. 

Le  Clerc,  with  the  largest  part  of  the  squadron,  came 
to  anchor  off  Cape  City,  and  summoned  the  place  to 
surrender.  The  reply  which  he  received  from 
Christophe  was  such  as  to  teach  the  captain-general 

(159) 


1GO  THE    RISING    SON. 

what  he  had  to  expect  in  the  subjugation  of  St.  Do 
mingo.  "Go  tell  your  general  that  the  French  shall 
march  here  only  over  ashes ;  and  that  the  ground  shall 
burn  beneath  their  feet,"  was  the  answer  that  Le  Clerc 
obtained  in  return  to  his  command.  The  French  gen 
eral  sent  another  messenger  to  Christophe,  urging  him 
to  surrender,  and  promising  the  black  chief  a  commis 
sion  of  high  rank  in  the  French  army.  But  he  found 
he  had  a  man,  and  not  a  slave,  to  deal  with.  The 
exasperated  Christophe  sent  back  the  heroic  reply, 
"The  decision  of  arms  can  admit  you  only  into  a  city 
in  ashes;  and  even  on  these  ashes  will  I  fight  still." 
The  black  chief  then  distributed  torches  to  his  princi 
pal  officers,  and  awaited  the  approach  of  the  French. 

With  no  navy,  and  but  little  means  of  defence,  the 
Haytians  determined  to  destroy  their  towns  rather  than 
they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Late  in 
the  evening  the  French  ships  were  seen  to  change  their 
position,  and  Christophe,  satisfied  that  they  were  about 
to  effect  a  landing,  set  fire  to  his  own  house,  which  was 
the  signal  for  the  burning  of  the  town.  The  French 
general  wept  as  he  beheld  the  ocean  of  flames  rising 
from  the  tops  of  the  houses  in  the  finest  city  in  St. 
Domingo. 

Another  part  of  the  fleet  landed  in  Samana,  where 
Toussaint,  with  an  experienced  wing  of  the  army, 
was  ready  to  meet  them.  On  seeing  the  ships  enter 
the  harbor,  the  heroic  chief  said:  "Here  come  the 
enslavers  of  our  race.  All  France  is  coming  to  St. 
Domingo,  to  try  again  to  put  the  fetters  upon  our  limbs; 
but*  not  France  with  all  her  troops  of  the  Rhine,  the 
Alps,  the  Nile,  the  Tiber,  nor  all  Europe  to  help  her, 
can  extinguish  the  soul  of  Africa.  That  soul,  when 


CAPTURE    OF    TOUSSAINT.  161 

once  the  soul  of  a  man,  and  no  longer  that  of  a  slave, 
can  overthrow  the  pyramids,  and  the  Alps  themselves, 
sooner  than  again  be  crushed  down  into  slavery."  The 
French,  however,  effected  a  landing,  but  they  found 
nothing  but  smouldering  ruins  where  once  stood  splen 
did  cities.  Toussaint  and  his  generals  at  once  aban 
doned  the  towns,  and  betook  themselves  to  the  mount 
ains,  those  citadels  of  freedom  in  St.  Domingo,  where 
the  blacks  have  always  proved  too  much  for  the  whites. 

Toussaint  put  forth  a  proclamation  to  the  colored 
people,  in  which  he  said:  "You  are  now  to  meet  and 
fight  enemies  who  have  neither  faith,  law,  nor  religion. 
Let  us  resolve  that  these  French  troops  shall  never 
leave  our  shores  alive."  The  war  commenced,  and  the 
blacks  were  victorious  in  nearly  all  the  battles.  Where 
the  French  gained  a  victory,  they  put  their  prisoners 
to  the  most  excruciating  tortures;  in  many  instances 
burning  them  in  pits,  and  throwing  them  into  boiling 
chaldrons.  This  example  cf  cruelty  set  by  the  whites, 
was  followed  by  the  blacks.  Then  it  was  that  Dessa- 
lines,  the  ferocious  chief,  satisfied  his  long  pent-up  re 
venge  against  the  white  planters  and  French  soldiers 
that  he  made  prisoners.  The  French  general  saw 
that  he  could  gain  nothing  from  the  blacks  on  the  field 
of  battle,  and  he  determined  upon  a  stratagem,  in 
which  he  succeeded  too  well. 

A  correspondence  was  opened  with  Toussaint  in 
which  the  captain-general  promised  to  acknowledge 
the  liberty  of  the  blacks,  and  the  equality  of  all,  if 
he  would  yield.  Overcome  by  the  persuasions  of  his 
generals,  and  the  blacks  who  surrounded  him,  and 
who  were  sick  and  tired  of  the  shedding  of  blood,  Tous- 
11 


162     '  THE  RISING   SON. 

snintgave  in  his  adhesion  to  the  French  authorities. 
This  was  the  great  error  of  his  life. 

The  loss  that  the  French  army  had  sustained  during 
the  war,  was  great.  Fifteen  thousand  of  their  best 
troops,  and  some  of  their  bravest  generals,  had  fallen 
before  the  arms  of  these  Negroes,  whom  they  despised. 

Soon  after  Toussaint  gave  in  his  adhesion,  the  yellow 
fever  broke  out  in  the  French  army,  and  carried  off 
nearly  all  of  the  remaining  great  men, — more  than 
seven  hundred  medical  men,  besides  twenty-two  thou 
sand  sailors  and  soldiers.  Among  these  were  fifteen 
hundred  officers.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Toussaint 
might  have  renewed  the  war  with  great  success.  But 
he  was  a  man  of  his  word,  and  would  not  take  the 
advantage  of  the  sad  condition  of  the  French  army. 

Although  peace  reigned,  Le  Clerc  was  still  afraid  of 
Toussaint;  and  by  the  advice  of  Napoleon,  the  black 
general  was  arrested,  together  with  his  family,  and 
sent  to  France. 

The  great  chief  of  St.  Domingo  had  scarcely  been 
conveyed  on  board  the  ship  Creole,  and  she  out  of  the 
harbor,  ere  Rigaud,  the  mulatto  general  who  had 
accompanied  Le  Clerc  to  St.  Domingo,  was  arrested, 
•put  in  chains,  and  sent  to  France. 

The  seizure  of  Toussaint  and  Rigaud  caused  sus 
picion  and  alarm  among  both  blacks  and  mulattoes, 
and  that  induced  them  to  raise  again  the  flag  of  in 
surrection,  in  which  the  two  proscribed  classes  were 
united. 

Twenty  thousand  fresh  troops  arrived  from  France, 
but  they  were  not  destined  to  see  Le  Clerc,  for  the 
yellow  fever  had  taken  him  off.  In  the  mountains 
were  many  barbarous  and  wild  blacks,  who  had  es- 


CAPTURE    OF  TOUSSAIXT.  163 

caped  from  slavery  soon  after  being  brought  from  the 
coast  of  Africa.  One  of  these  bands  of  savages  were 

o 

commanded  by  Lamour  de  Ranee,  an  adroit,  stern, 
savage  man,  half  naked,  with  epaulettes  tied  to  his 
bare  shoulders  for  his  only  token  of  authority.  This 
man  had  been  brought  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  and 
sold  as  a  slave  in  Port  an  Prince.  On  being  ordered 
one  day  to  saddle  his  master's  horse,  he  did  so;  then 
mounted  the  animal,  fled  to  the  mountains,  and  ever 
after  made  these  fearful  regions  his  home.  Lamour 
passed  from  mountain  to  mountain  with  something  of 

A  O 

the  ease  of  the  birds  of  his  own  native  land.  Toussaint, 
Christ ophe,  and  Dessalines,  had  each  in  their  turn  pur 
sued  him,  but  in  vain.  His  mode  of  fighting  was  in 
keeping  with  his  dress.  This  savage,  united  with 
others  like  himself,  became  complete  master  of  the 
wilds  of  St.  Domingo.  They  came  forth  from  their 
mountain  homes,  and  made  war  on  the  whites  wherever 
they  found  them.  Le  Clerc  was  now  dead,  and  Roch- 
ambeau,  who  succeeded  him  in  the  government  of  St. 
Domingo,  sent  to  Cuba  to  get  bloodhounds,  with  which 
to  hunt  down  the  blacks  in  the  mountains. 

In  personal  appearance,  Rochambeau  was  short  and 
stout,  with  a  deformed  body,  but  of  robust  constitu 
tion;  his  manner  was  hard  and  severe,  though  he  had 
a  propensity  to  voluptuousness.  He  lacked  neither 
ability  nor  experience  in  war.  In  his  youth,  he  had, 
under  the  eyes  of  his  illustrious  father,  served  the  cause 
of  freedom  in  the  United  States ;  and  while  on  duty  in 
the  slave  portion  of  our  government,  formed  a  low  idea 
of  the  blacks,  which  followed  him  even  to  St.  Do 


mingo. 


The   planters  therefore    hailed   with    joy   Rocham- 


164  THE  RISING  SON. 

beau  as  a  successor  to  Le  Clerc;  and  when  the  blood 
hounds  which  he  had  sent  to  Cuba  for  arrived,  can 
non  were  fired,  and  demonstrations  of  joy  were  shown 
in  various  ways. 

Even  the  women,  wives  of  the  planters,  went  to  the 
sea-side,  met  the  animals,  and  put  garlands  about  their 
necks,  and  some  kissed  and  caressed  the  dogs.* 

Such  was  the  degradation  of  human  nature.  While 
the  white  women  were  cheering  on  the  French,  who 
had  imported  bloodhounds  as  their  auxiliaries,  the 
black  women  were  using  all  their  powers  of  persuasion 
to  rouse  the  blacks  to  the  combat.  Many  of  these 
women  walked  from  camp  to  camp,  and  from  battalion 
to  battalion,  exhibiting  their  naked  bodies,  showing 
their  lacerated  and  scourged  persons ;  — these  were  the 
marks  of  slavery,  made  many  years  before,  but  now 
used  for  the  cause  of  human  freedom. 

Christophe,  who  had  taken  command  of  the  insur 
gents,  now  gave  unmistakable  proofs  that  he  was  a 
great  general,  and  scarcely  second  to  Touissant. 
Twenty  thousand  fresh  troops  arrived  from  France  to 
the  aid  of  Rochambeau ;  yet  the  blacks  were  victorious 
wherever  they  fought.  The  French  blindly  thought 
that  cruelty  to  the  blacks  would  induce  their  submis 
sion,  and  to  this  end  they  bent  all  their  energies.  An 
amphitheatre  was  erected,  and  two  hundred  dogs, 
sharpened  by  extreme  hunger,  put  there,  and  black 
prisoners  thrown  in.  The  raging  animals  disputed 
with  each  other  for  the  limbs  of  their  victims,  until 
the  ground  was  dyed  Avith  human  blood. 

Three  hundred  brave  blacks  were  put  to  death%  in 
this  horrible  manner.  The  blacks,  having  spread  their 

*  Beard's  Life  of  Toussaint  L*  Ouverture. 


CAPTURE  OF   TOUSSA1XT.  165 

forces  in  every  quarter  of  the  island,  were  fast  retak 
ing  the  forts  and  towns.  Christophe  commanded  in 
the  north,  Dessalines  in  the  west,  and  Clervaux  in  the 
south. 

Despotism  and  sensuality  have  often  been  compan 
ions.  In  Rochambeau,  the  one  sharpened  the  appetite 
for  the  other,  as  though  greediness  of  bodily  pleasure 
welcomed  the  zest  arising  from  the  sight  of  bodily 
pain. 

No  small  part  of  his  time  Kochainbeau  passed  at 
table,  or  on  sofas,  with  the  Creole  females,  worshippers 
of  pleasure,  as  well  as  most  cruel  towards  their  slaves. 
To  satisfy  these  fascinating  courtesans,  scaffolds  were 
raised  in  the  cities,  which  were  bathed  in  the  blood  of 
the  blacks.  They  even  executed  women  and  children, 
whose  only  crime  was,  that  they  had  brothers,  fathers, 
or  husbands  a.uoug  the  revolters.  These  brutal  mur 
ders  by  the  French  filled  the  blacks  with  terror.  Des 
salines  started  for  the  Cape,  for  the  purpose  of  meet 
ing  Rochambeau,  and  avenging  the  death  of  the  blacks. 
In  his  impetuous  and  terrible  march,  he  surrounded 
and  made  prisoners  a  body  of  Frenchmen;  and  with 
branches  of  trees,  that  ferocious  chief  raised,  under 
the  eyes  of  Rochambeau,  five  hundred  gibbets,  on 
which  he  hanged  as  many  prisoners. 

The  numerous  executions  which  began  at  the  Cape 
soon  extended  to  other  places.  Port  au  Prince  had  its 
salt  waters  made  bloody,  and  scaffolds  were  erected 
and  loaded,  within  and  without  the  walls.  The  hand 
of  tyranny  spread  terror  and  death  over  the  shores  of 
the  north  and  the  west.  As  the  insurrection  became 
more  daring,  it  was  thought  that  the  punishments  had 
not  been  either  numerous  enough,  violent  enough,  or 


166  THE    RISING    SON. 

various  enough.  -  The  colonists  counselled  and  encour 
aged  more  vengeance.  Children,  women,  and  old  men 
were  confined  in  sacks,  and  thrown  into  the  sea;  this 
was  the  punishment  of  parricides  among  the  Romans, 
ten  centuries  before ;  and  now  resorted  to  by  these 
haters  of  liberty. 

Kochambeau  put  five  hundred  blacks,  prisoners 
whom  he  had  taken  in  battle,  to  death  in  one  day. 
Twenty  of  Toussaint's  old  officers  were  chained  to  the 
rocks  and  starved  to  death. 

But  the  blacks  were  gradually  getting  possession  of 
the  strongholds  in  the  islands. 

"To  arms  I  to  arms!'"  was 'the  cry  all  over  the 
Island,  until  every  one  who  could  use  even  the  lightest 
instrument  of  death,  was  under  arms. 

Dessalines,  Belair,  and  Lamartiniere,  defeated  the 
French  general  at  Verettes;  in  no  place  was  the 
slaughter  so  terrible  as  there.  At  a  mere  nod  of  Des 
salines,  men  who  had  been  slaves,  and  who  dreaded 
the  new  servitude  with  which  they  were  threatened, 
massacred  seven  hundred  of  the  whites  that  Dessalines 
had  amongst  his  prisoners. 

The  child  died  in  the  arms  of  its  sick  and  terri 
fied  mother;  the  father  was  unable  to  save  the 
daughter,  the  daughter  unable  to  save  the  father. 
Mulattoes  took  the  lives  of  their  white  fathers,  to 
whom  they  had  been  slaves,  or  whom,  allowing  them 
to  go  free,  had  disowned  them;  thus  revenging  them 
selves  for  the  mixture  of  their  blood.  So  frightful 
was  this  slaughter,  that  the  banks  of  the  Artibonite 
were  strewn  with  dead  bodies,  and  the  waters  dyed 
with  the  blood  of  the  slain.  Not  a  grave  was  dug, 
for  Dessalines  had  prohibited  interment,  in  order  that 


CAPTURE    OF    TOUSSA1XT.  167 

the  eyes  of  the  French  might  see  his  vengeance  even 
in  the  repulsive  remains  of -carnage. 

The  united  enthusiasm  and  bravery  of  the  blacks 
and  mulattoes  was  too  much  fo?  the  French.  Sur 
rounded  on  all  sides,  Rochambeau  saw  his  troops 
dying  for  the  want  of  food.  For  many  week's  they 
lived  on  horse  flesh,  and  were  even  driven  to  subsist 
on  the  dogs  that  they  had  imported  from  Cuba. 

Reduced  to  the  last  extremity  by  starvation,  the 
French  general  sued  for  peace,  and  promised  that  he 
would  immediately  leave  the  Island ;  it  was  ac 
cepted  by  the  blacks,  and  Rochambeau  prepared 
to  return  to  France.  The  French  embarked  in 
their  vessels  of  war,  and  the  standard  of  the  blacks 
once  more  waved  over  Cape  City,  the  capital  of  St. 
Domingo.  As  the  French  sailed  from  the  Island,  they 
saw  the  tops  of  the  mountains  lighted  up; — it  was 
not  a  blaze  kindled  for  war,  but  for  freedom.  Every 
heart  beat  for  liberty,  and  every  voice  shouted  for  joy. 
From  the  ocean  to  the  mountains,  and  from  town  to 
town,  the  cry  was  ' 'Freedom!  Freedom! >:  Thus  ended 
Napoleon's  expedition  to  St.  Domingo.  t  In  less  than 
two  years  the  French  lost  more'  than  fifty  thousand 
persons.  After  the  retirement  of  the  whites,  the  men 
of  color  put  forth  a  Declaration  of  Independence,  in 
which  they  said:  "We  have  sworn  to  show  no  mercy 
to  those  who  may  dare  to  speak  to  us  of  slavery." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TOUSSAINT  A  PRISONER   IN  FRANCE. 

.  WHILE  the  cause  of  independence,  forced  at  length 
on  the  aspirations  of  the  natives  of  Hayti,  was  advanc 
ing  with  rapid  strides,  ainid  all  the  tumult  of  armies, 
and  all  the  confusion  of  despotic  cruelties,  Toussaiut 
L'Ouverture  pined  away  in  the  dark,  damp,  cold  prison 
of  Joux. 

This  castle  stands  on  the  brink  of  the  river  Daubs; 
on  the  land  side,  the  road  of  Besancon,  leading  into 
Switzerland,  gives  the  stronghold  the  command  of 
the  communications  between  that  country  and  France. 
This  dungeon  built  by  the  Romans,  has  in  it  a  room 
fifteen  feet  square,  with  a  stone  floor,  the  same  of 
which  the  entire  castle  is  constructed.  One  small 
window,  high  up  on  the  side,  looking  out  on  the  snows 
of  Switzerland,  is  the  only  aperture  that  gives  light 
to  the  dismal  spot.  In  winter,  ice  covers  the  floor; 
in  summer,  it  is  deep  with  water.  In  this  living 
tomb,  Toussaint  was  placed,  and  left  to  die. 

All  communication  was  forbidden  him  with  the 
outer  world.  He  received  no  news  of  his  wife  and 
family.  He  wrote  to  Bonaparte,  demanding  a  trial, 

(168) 


TOUSSAIXT  A   PRISONER   IN   FRANCE.  169 

but  received  no  reply.  Ilia  fare  was  limited  to  a 
sum  not  sufficient  to  give  him  the  comforts  of  life. 
His  servant  was  taken  away,  and  food  reduced  to  a 
still  smaller  quantity;  and  thus  the  once  ruler  of 
St.  Domingo,  the  man  to  whom  in  the 'darkest  day  of 
the  insurrection  the  white  planters  looked  for  gafety, 
knowing  well  his  humanity,  was  little  by  little 
brought  to  the  verge  of  starvation. 

Toussaint's  wife  and  children  had  been  arrested, 
sent  to  France,  separated  from  him,  and  he  knew 
nothing  of  their  whereabouts.  He  wrote  to  Napoleon 
in  behalf  of  them.  The  document  contained  these  words : 

"General  Le  Clerc  employed  towards  me  means 
which  have  never  been  employed  towards  the  greatest 
enemies.  Doubtless  I  owe  that  contempt  to  my  color; 
but  has  that  color  prevented  me  from  serving  my  coun 
try  with  zeal  and  fidelity  ?  Does  the  color  of  my  body 
injure  my  honor  or  my  courage?  Suppose  I  was  a 
criminal,  and  that  the  general-in-chief  had  orders  to 
arrest  me;  was  it  needful  to  employ  carabineers  to 
arrest  my  wife  and  children ;  to  tear  them  from  their 
residence  without  respect,  and  without  charity  ?  Was  it 
necessary  to  fire  on  my  plantations,  and  on  my  family, 
or  to  ransack  and  pillage  my  property?  No!  My  wife, 
my  children,  my  household,  were  under  no  responsi 
bility;  have  no  account  to  render  to  government. 
General  Le  Clerc  had  not  even  the  right  to  arrest  them. 
Was  that  officer  afraid  of  a  rival? 

*4I  compare  him  to  the  Roman  Senate,  that  pursued 
Hannibal  even  into  his  retirement.  I  request  that  he 
and  I  may  appear  before  a  tribunal,  and  that  the  govern 
ment  bring  forward  the  whole  of  my  correspondence 


170  THE    RISING   SON. 

with  him.  By  that  means,  my  innocence,  and  all  I  have 
done  for  the  republic,  will  be  seen." 

Toussaint  was  not  even  aware  of  Le  Clerc's  death. 
Finding  that  the  humanity  of  Colomier,  the  governor 
of  the  castle,  would  not  allow  the  prisoner  to  starve 
fast  enough,  Napoleon  ordered  the  keeper  to  a  dis 
tance;  and  on  his  return,  Toussaint  was  dead. 

Thus  in  the  beginning  of  April,  in  the  year  1803,  died 
Toussaint  L'Ouverture,  a  grandson  of  an  African  king. 
He  passed  the  greater  number  of  his  days  in  slavery, 
and  rose  to  be  a  soldier,  a  general,  a  governor,  and  to 
day  lives  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  his  native  isle. 
Endowed  by  nature  with  high  qualities  of  mind,  he 
owed  his  elevation  to  his  own  energies  and  his  devotion 
to  the  welfare  and  freedom  of  his  race.  His  habits 
were  thoughtful,  and,  like  most  men  of  energetic 
temperaments,  he  crowded  much  into  what  he  said. 

So  profound  and  original  were  his  opinions,  that 
they  have  been  successively  drawn  upon  by  all  the 
chiefs  of  St.  Domingo  since  his  era,  and  still  without 
loss  of  adaptation  to  the  circumstances  of  the  country. 
His  thoughts  were  copious  and  full  of  vigor;  and  what 
he  could  express  well  in  his  native  patois,  he  found 
tame  and  unsatisfactory  in  the  French  language,  which 
he  was  obliged  to  employ  in  the  details  of  his  official 
business. 

He  would  never  sign  what  he  did  not  fully  understand, 
obliging  two  or  three  secretaries  to  re-word  the  doc 
ument,  until  they  had  succeeded  in  furnishing  the 
particular  phrase  expressive  of  his  meaning.  While  at 
the  height  of  his  power,  and  when  all  around  him  were 
furnished  with  every  comfort,  and  his  officers  living 


TOUSSAIXT  A   PRISONER   IX  FRANCE.  171 

in  splendor,  Tonssaiut  himself  lived  with  an  austere 
sobriety,  which  bordered  on  abstemiousness. 

Clad  in  a  common  dress,  with  a  red  Madras  hand 
kerchief  tied  around  his  head,  he  would  move  amongst 
the  people  as  though  he  were  a  laborer.  On  such 
occasions  he  would  often  take  a  musket,  throw  it 
up  into  the  air,  and  catciiing  it,  kiss  it;  again  hold 
it  up,  and  exclaim  to  the  gazing  multitude,  "Behold 
your  deliverer;  in  this  lies  your  liberty  I "  Tons- 
saint  was  entirely  master  of  his  own  appetites  and 
passions. 

It  was  his  custom  to  set  off  in  his  carriage  with  the 
professed  object  of  going  to  some  particular  point  of 
the  Island,  and  when  he  had  passed  over  several  miles 
of  the  journey,  to  quit  the  carriage,  which  continued 
its  route  under  the  same  escort  of  guards,  while  Tons- 
saint  mounted  on  horseback,  and  followed  by  his 
officers,  made  rapid  excursions  across  the  country 
to  places  where  he  was  least  expected.  It  was  upon 
one  of  these  occasions  that  he  owed  his  life  to  hi? 
singular  mode  of  travelling.  He  had  just  left  his  car 
riage  when  an  ambuscade  of  mulattoes,  concealed  in 
the  thickets  of  Boucassin,  fired  upon  the  guard; 
several  balls  pierced  the  carriage,  and  one  of  them 
killed  an  old  servant,  who  occupied  the  seat  of  his 
master. 

No  person  knew  better  than  he  the  art  of  governing 
the  people  under  his  jurisdiction.  The  greater  part  of 
the  blacks  loved  him  to  idolatry.  Veneration  for 
Toussaint  was  not  confined  to  the  boundaries  of  St. 
Domingo ;  it  ran  through  Europe ;  and  in  France  his 
name  was  frequently  pronounced  in  the  senate  with  the 
eulogy  of  polished  eloquence.  No  one  can  look  back 


172  THE  RISING  SON. 

upon  his  career  without  feeling  that  Toussaint  was  a 
remarkable  man.  Without  being  bred  to  the  science 
of  arms,  he  became  a  valiant  soldier,  and  baffled  the 
skill  of  the  most  experienced  generals  that  had  fol 
lowed  Napoleon.  Without  military  knowledge,  he 
fought  like  one  born  in  the  camp.  . 

Without  means,  he  carried  on  a  war  successfully. 
He  beat  his  enemies  in  battle,  and  turned  their  weapons 
against  them.  He  possessed  splendid  traits  of 
genius,  which  were  developed  in  the  private  circle,  in 
the  council  chamber,  and  upon  the  field  of  battle.  His 
very  name  became  a  tower  of  strength  to  his  friends 
and  a  terror  to  his  foes. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

DESSALINES  AS   EMPEROR   OF  HAYTI. 

ROCHAMBEAU,  with  the  remnant  of  his  defeated 
army,  had  scarcely  retired  from  St.  Domingo  before 
the  news  of  the  death  of  Toussaint  reached  the  Island. 
The  announcement  of  this,  together  with  the  fact  that 
their  great  general  had  died  by  starvation,  assured  the 
natives  of  the  essential  goodness  of  their  cause,  and 
the  genuine  vigor  of  their  strength.  They  had  meas 
ured  swords  with  the  whites,  and  were  conscious  of 
their  own  superiority.  Slavery  in  St.  Domingo  was 
dead,  and  dead  forever.  The  common  enemy  was 
gone,  and  the  victory  had  been  gained  by  the  union 
of  the  blacks  and  mulattoes,  and  these  put  forth  a 
Declaration  of  Rights,  in  which  they  said:  "The  inde 
pendence  of  St.  Domingo  is  proclaimed.  Restored  to 
our  primitive  dignity,  we  have  secured  our  rights; 
we  .swear  never  to  cede  them  to  any  power  in  the 
world.  The  frightful  veil  of  prejudice  is  torn  in  pieces; 
let  it  remain  so  forever.  Woe  to  him  who  may  wish  to 
collect  the  blood-stained  tatters.  We  have  sworn  to 
show  no  mercy  to  those  who  may  dare  to  speak  to  us 
of  slavery."  This  document  was  signed  by  Dessalines, 

(173) 


174  THE  RISING    SON. 

Christ opbe,  and  Clervaux,  the  three  chiefs  who  had 
conducted  the  war  after  the  capture  of  Touissant. 

The  first  of  these  were  black,  and  represented  that 
class  of  his  race  who  held  sentiments  of  the  most  ex 
treme  hatred  to  the  whites.  The  second  was  also  black, 
but  of  a  feeling  more  inclined  to  moderation.  The 
third  represented  the  mulattoes,  although  he  had  none 
of  the  prejudice  against  the  blacks,  so  prevalent  in 
those  days.  Clervaux  was  a  brave  man,  and  had 
fought  under  Toussaint  before  the  landing  of  Le  Clerc 
and  Rochambeau. 

By  the  daring  manifested  on  the  field  of  battle,  his 
fierce  and  sanguinary  look,  his  thirst  for  blood,  Des- 
salines  had  become  the  leader  of  the  blacks  in  the  war 
for  liberty;  and  now  that  victory  was  perched  upon 
their  banners,  and  the  civil  government  of  the  Island 
was  to  fall  into  their  hands,  he  set  his  associates 
aside,  and  took  the  State  into  his  own  charge.  Jean 
Jacques  Dessalines  was  appointed  governor-general  for 
life.  He  was  not  only  a  life  officer,  but  he  had  the 
power  to  establish  laws,  to  declare-  war,  to  make  peace, 
and  even  to  appoint  his  successor.  ' 

Having  by  a  show  of  mildness  gained  the  advantage 
which  he  sought,  —  the  acquisition  of  power,  — Dessa 
lines,  a  few  weeks  after  his  appointment  as  governor 
for  life,  threw  aside  the  mask,  and  raised  the  cry  of 
"Hayti  for  the  Haytians,"  thinking  by  proscribing 
foreigners,  he  should  most  effectually  consolidate  his 
own  authority. 

From  that  moment  the  career  of  this  ferocious  man 
was  stained  with  innocent  blood,  and  with  crimes  that 
find  no  parallel,  unless  in  the  dark  deeds  of  Rocham 
beau,  whom  he  seemed  anxious  to  imitate.  The  blacks, 


DESSALINES   AS    EMPEROR   OF   HAYTI.  175 

maddened  by  the  recollection  of  slavery,  and  crimes 
perpetrated  tinder  its  influence;  maddened  by  tbc  oft- 
repeated  stories  of  murders  committed  by  the  French, 
and  the  presence  of  many  of  their  old  masters  still  on 
the  Island,  and  whose  bloody  deeds  Dessalines  con 
tinually  kept  before  them  in  his  proclamations,  were 
easily  led  into  the  worst  of  crimes  by  this  man. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1804,  Dessalines  was  pro 
claimed  Emperor  of  Hay ti,  with  the  title  of  Jean  Jacques 
the  First.  A  census  taken  in  1805  showed  the  popu 
lation  of  that  part  of  the  Island  ruled  by  Dessalines,  to 
he  only  four  hundred  thousand.  , 

The  title  of  majesty  was  conferred  on  the  new  Empe 
ror,  as  well  as  on  his  august  consort,  the  empress; 
their  persons  were  declared  inviolable,  and  the  crown 
elective;  but  the  Emperor  had  the  right  to  nominate 
his  successor  among  a  chosen  number  of  candidates. 
The  sous  of  the  sovereign  were  to  pass  through  all  the 
ranks  of  the  army. 

Every  emperor  who  should  attach  to  himself  a  privi 
leged  body,  under  the  name  of  guard  of  honor,  or  any 
other  designation,  was,  by  the  fact,  to  be- regarded  as  at 
war  with  the  nation,  and  should  be  driven  from  the 
throne,  which  then  was  to  be  occupied  by  one  of  the 
councillors  of  state,  chosen  by*  the  majority  of  the  mem 
bers  of  that  body. 

The  emperor  had  the  right  to  make,  and  approve 
and  publish  the  laws;  to  make  pea'ce  and  war;  to  con 
clude  treaties;  to  distribute  the  armed  force  at  his 
pleasure ;  he  also  possessed  the  exclusive  prerogative  of 
pardon.  The  generals  of  brigade  and  of  division  were  to 
form  part  of  the  council  of  state.  Besides  a  secretary 
of  state,  there  was  to  be  a  minister  of  finances,  and  a 


176  THE  RISIXG  SON. 

minister  of  war.  All  persons  were  encouraged  to  set-, 
tie  their  differences  by  arbitration. 

No  dominant  religion  was  admitted;  the  liberty  of 
worship  was  proclaimed;  the  State  was  not  to  take  on 
itself  the  support  of  any  religious  institution.  Mar 
riage  was  declared  a  purely  civil  act,  and  in  some  cases 
divorce  was  permitted.  State  offences  were  to  be  tried 
by  a  council  to  be  named  by  the  Emperor.  All  prop 
erty  belonging  to  white  Frenchmen  was  confiscated  to 
the  State.  The  houses  of  the  citizens  were  pronounced 
inviolable. 

The  Constitution  wras  placed  under  the  safeguard  of 
the  magistrates,  of  fathers,  of  mothers,  of  citizens,  of 
soldiers,  and  recommended  to  their  descendants,  to  all 
the  friends  of  liberty,  to  the  philanthropists  of  all  coun 
tries,  as  a  striking  token  of  the  goodness  of  God,  who, 
in  the  order  of  his  immortal  decrees,  had  given  the  Hay- 
tians  power  to  break  their  bonds,  and  make  themselves 
a  free,  civilized,  and  independent  people.  This  Con 
stitution,  which,  considering  its  origin,  contains  so 
much  that  is  excel] enj,  and  which  even  the  long  civil 
ized  States  of  Europe  might  advantageously  study,  was 
accepted  by  the  emperor,  and  ordered  to  be  forthwith 
carried  into  execution. 

The  condition  of  the  form-laborer  was  the  same  as 
under  the  system  of  ToussaintL'Ouvcrture;  he  labored 
for  wages  which  were  fixed  at  one-fourth  of  the  produce, 
and  that  produce  was  abundant.  The  whip  and  all 
corporal  punishments  were  abolished. 

Idleness  was  regarded  as  a  crime,  but  was  punished 
only  by  imprisonment.  Two-thirds  of  the  labor  ex 
tracted  under  slavery  was  the  amount  required  under 
the  new  system.  Thus  the  laborers  gained  a  diminu- 


DESS  ALINES    AS   EMPEROR   OF   HAYTI.  177 

tion  of  one-third  of  their  toil,  while  their  wants  were 
amply  supplied.  The  mulattoes,  or  quaterons,  children 
of  whites  and  mulattoes,  who  were  very  numerous,  if 
they  could  show  any  relationship,  whether  legitimate  or 
not,  with  the  old  white  proprietors,  were  allowed  to  in 
herit  their  property. 

Education  was  not  neglected  in  the  midst  of  these 
outward  and  material  arrangements.  In  nearly  all  the 
districts,  schools  were  established;  and  the  people,  see 
ing  what  advantage  was  to  be  derived  from  learning, 

O  O  Cj ' 

entered  them,  and  plied  themselves  vigorously  to  gain 
in  freedom  what  they  had  lost  in  slavery. 

A  praiseworthy  effort  was  made  by  the  framers  of  the 
constitution,  under  which  Dessalines  was  inaugurated 
emperor,  to  extinguish  all  distinctions  of  color  among 
the  colored  people  themselves. 

They  decreed  that  the  people  should  be  denominated 
blacks;  but  such  distinctions  are  far  stronger  than  words 
on  paper.  Unfortunately,  the  distinctions  in  question, 
which  was  deeply  rooted,  and  rested  on  prejudices  and 
antipathies  which  will  never  be  erased  from  human 
nature,  had  been  aggravated  by  long  and  sanguinary 
contents  between  the  blacks  and  mulattoes. 

Aware  of  that  individual  superiority  which  springs 
from  a  share  in  the  influences  of  civilization,  the  mu 
lattoes  of  Hayti  despised  the  uneducated  black  laborers 
by  whom  they  were  surrounded,  and  felt  that  by  sub 
mitting  to  their  sway,  they  put  themselves  under  the 
domination  of  a  majority  whose  sole  authority  lay 
exclusively  in  their  numbers.  The  mulattoes  really 
believed  that  their  natural  position  was  to  fill  the 
places  in  the  government  once  held  by  the  whites. 

They  would  no   doubt    have   forgotten   their  party 


178  THE    RISING    SOX. 

interests,  and  labored  for  the  diffrsion  through  the 
great  body  of  the  people  of  the  higher  influence  of 
civilization,  if  they  could  have  secured  those  posi 
tions. 

The  mutual  hatred  between  the  mulattoes  and  the 
blacks  was  so  deeply  rooted,  that  neither  party  could 
see  anything  good  in  the  other;  and  therefore,  what 
ever  was  put  forth  by  one  party,  no  matter  how  meri 
torious  in  itself,  was  regarded  with  suspicion  by  the 
other. 

The  regular  army  of  Dessalines  was  composed  of 
fifteen  thousand  men,  in  which  there  was  included  a 
corps  of  fifteen  hundred  cavalry.  They  were  a  motley 
assemblage  of  ragged  blacks,  kept  in  the  ranks,  and 
performing  their  limited  routine  of  duty  through  the 
awe  inspired  among  them  by  the  rigid  severity  of  the 
imperial  discipline.  The  uniform  of  the  troops  had 
not  been  changed  when  the  Island  was  erected  into 
an  independent  power,  and  the  red  and  blue  of  the 
French  army  still  continued  to  distinguish  the  soldiers 
of  the  Haytian  army,  even  when  the  French  were  ex 
ecrated  as  a  race  of  monsters,  with  whom  the  blacks  of 
St.  Domingo  should  have  nothing  in  common.  To 
gether  with  the  regular  army  of  the  empire,  there 
existed  a  numerous  corps  of  national  guard,  composed 
of  all  who  were  capable  of  bearing  arms;  though  the 
services  of  these  were  not  required  but  in  some  dan 
gerous  emergency  of  the  State.  The  national  guard 
and  regular  army  were  called  into  the  field  four  times 
every  year;  and  during  these  seasons  of  military  move 
ment,  the  government  of  Dessalines  was  over  a  nation 
of  soldiers  in  arms,  as  they  remained  in  their  encamp 
ment  for  some  days,  to  be  instructed  in  military 


DESSALINES    AS    EMPEROR   OF  HAYTI.  179 

knowledge,  and  to  be  reviewed  by  the  great  officers  of 
the  empire. 

Dessalines  now  put  forth  a  proclamation  filled  with 
accusations  against  the  white  French  still  on  the 
Island. 

This  ferocious  manifesto  was  intended  as  a  prelimi 
nary  measure  in  the  train  of  horrible  events  to  follow. 
In  the  month  of  February,  1805,  orders  were  issued 
for  the  pursuit  and  arrest  of  all  those  Frenchmen  who 
had  been  accused  of  being  accomplices  in  the  execu 
tions  ordered  by  Rochambeau. 

Dessalines  pretended  that  more  than  sixty  thousand 
of  his  compatriots  had  been  drowned,  suffocated,  hung, 
or  shot  in  these  massacres.  "We  adopt  this  measure," 
said  he,  <kto  teach  the  nations  of  the  world  that,  not 
withstanding  the  protection  which  we  grant  to  those 
who  are  loyal  towards  us,  nothing  shall  prevent  us  from 
pmijushing  the  murderers  who  have  taken  pleasure  in 
bathing  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  sons  of  Hayti." 

These  instigations  were  not  long  in  producing  their 
appropriate  consequences  among  a  population  for  so 
many  years  trained  to  cruelty,  and  that  hated  the 
French  in  their  absence  in  the  same  degree  that  they 
feared  them  when  present.  On  the  28th  of  April  it 
was  ordered  by  proclamation  that  all  the  French  resi 
dents  in  the  Island  should  be  put  to  death ;  and  this  in 
human  command  of  Dessalines  was  eagerly  obeyed  by 
his  followers,  particularly  by  the  mulattoes,  who  had  to 
manifest  a  flaming  zeal  for  their  new  sovereign,  in  or 
der  to  save  themselves  from  falling  victims  to  his  san 
guinary  vengeance.  Acting  under  the. dread  surveil 
lance  of  Dessalines,  all  the  black  chiefs  were  forced 
to  show  themselves^  equally  cruel;  and  if  any  French 


180  THE    KISING   SON. 

were  saved  from  death,  it  was  due  to  the  mercy  of  the 
inferior  blacks,  who  dared  not  to  avoid  their  generos 
ity.  Dessalines  made  a  progress  through  all  the  towns 
where  there  were  any  French  citizens  remaining,  and 
while  his  soldiers  were  murdering  the  unfortunate  vic 
tims  of  his  ferocity,  the  monster  gloated  with  secret 
complacency  over  the  scene  of  carnage,  like  some  malig 
nant  fiend  glorying  in.  the  pangs  of  misery  suffered 
by  those  who  had  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  his  wickedness. 

The  massacre  was  executed  with  an  attention  to  or 
der,  which  proves  how  minutely  it  had  been  prepared. 
All  proper  precautions  were  taken,  that  no  other 
whites  than  the  French  should  be  included  in  the  pro 
scription.  In  the  town  of  Cape  Fran£ois,  where  the 
massacre  took  place,  on  the  night  of  the  20th  of  April, 
the  precaution  was  first  taken  of  sending  detach 
ments  of  soldiers  tp  the  houses  of  the  American  and 
English  merchants,  with  strict  orders  to  permit  no  per 
son,  not  even  the  black  generals,  to  enter  them,  without 
the  permission  of  the  master  of  the  house,  who  had  been 
previously  informed  of  all  that  was  about  to  happen. 
This  command  was  obeyed  so  punctually,  that  one  of 
these  privileged  individuals  had  the  good  fortune  to 
preserve  the  lives  of  a  number  of  Frenchmen  whom  he 
had  concealed  in  his  house,  and  who  remained  in  their 
asylum  until  the  guilty  tragedy  was  over. 

The  priests,  surgeons,  and  some  necessary  artisans 
were  preserved  from  destruction,  consisting  in  all,  of 
one-tenth  of  the  French  residents.  All  the  rest  were 
massacred  without  regard  to  age  or  sex.  The  personal 
security  enjoyed  by  the  foreign  whites  was  no  safe 
guard  to  the  horror  inspired  in  them  by  the  scenes  of 
misery  which  were  being  enacted  without.  At  every 


DESSALINES   AS    EMPEROR   OF   HAYTI.  181 

moment  of  the  night,  the  noise  was  heard  of  axes,  which 
were  employed  to  burst  open  the  doors  of  the  neigh 
boring  houses;  of  piercing  cries,  followed  by  a  death 
like  silence,  soon,  however,  to  be  changed  to  a  renewal 
of  the  same  sounds  of  grief  and  terror,  as  the  soldiers 
proceeded  from  house  to  house. 

When   this  ni^ht  of  horror  and  massacre  was  over. 

O  ' 

the  treacherous  cruelty  of  Dessalincs  was  not  yet  ap 
peased.  An  imperial  proclamation  was  issued  in  the 
morning,  alleging  that  the  blacks  were  sufficiently 
avenged  upon  the  French,  and  inviting  all  who  had 
escaped  the  assassination  of*  the  previous  night  to 
make  their  appearance  upon  the  Place  d'Armes  of  the 
town,  in  order  to  receive  certificates  of  protection; 
and  it  was  declared  to  them  that  in  doing  this  they 
might  count  upon  perfect  safety  to  themselves. 

Many  hundreds  of  the  French  had  been  forewarned 
of  the  massacre,  and  by  timely  concealment  had  suc 
ceeded  in  preserving  their  lives.  Completely  circum 
vented  by  the  fiendish  cunning  of  Dessalines,  this  lit 
tle  remnant  of  survivors  came  out  of  their  places  of 
concealment,  and  formed  themselves  in  a  body  upon 
the  Place  d'Armes.  But  at  the  moment  when  they 
"were  anxiously  expecting  their  promised  certificates 
of  salety,  the  order  was  given  for  their  execution. 
The  stream  of  water  which  flowed  through  the  town 
of  Cape  Fran£ois  was  fairly  tinged  with  their  blood.* 

Mmy  of  the  great  chiefs  in  the  black  army  were 
struck  with  horror  and  disgust  at  this  fiendish  cruelty 
of  their  emperor.  Christophe  was  shocked  at  the  atroc 
ity  of  the  measure,  though  he  dared  not  display  any 
open  opposition  to  the  will  of  the  monarch.  Dessalines 

*  Halo. 


182  THE    RISING    SON. 

had  no  troublesome  sensibilities  of  soul  to  harass  his 
repose  for  a  transaction  almost  without  a  parallel  in 
history.  He  sought  not  to  share  the  infamy  of  the 
action  with  the  subordinate  chiefs  of  his  army,  but 
without  a  pang  of  remorse  he  claimed  to  himself  the 
whole  honor  of  the  measure. 

In  another  proclamation,  given  to  the  world  within 
a  few  days  after  the  massacre,  he  boasts  of  having 
shown  more  than  ordinary  firmness,  and  affects  to  put 
his  system  of  policy  in  opposition  to  the  lenity  of 
Touissaut,  whom  he  accuses,  if  not  of  want  of  patriot 
ism,  at  least  of  want  of  firmness  in  his  public  conduct. 
Dessalincs  was  prompted  to  the  share  he  took  in  this 
transaction  by  an  inborn  ferociousness  of  character; 
but  a  spirit  of  personal  vengeance  doubtless  had  its 
effect  upon  the  subordinate  agents  in  the  massacre. 
They  hated  the  French  for  the  cruelties  of  Rochambeau. 

Although  the  complete  evacuation  of  the  Island  by 
the  forces  of  the  French,  and  the  ceaseless  employment 
of  the  armies  of  Napoleon  in  the  wars  of  Europe,  had 
left  the  blacks  of  St.  Domingo  in  the  full  possession 
of  that  Island,  Dessalines  lived  in  continual  dread  that 
the  first  moment  of  leisure  would  be  seized  by  the 
conqueror  of  Europe  to  attempt  the  subjugation  of  his 
new  empire.  The  black  chief  even  alleged  in  excuse 
for  the  massacre  which  he  had  just  accomplished,  that 
the  French  residents  in  the  Island  had  been  engaged  in 
machinations  against  the  dominion  of  the  blacks,  and 
that  several  French  frigates  then  lying  at  St.  Jago  de 
Cuba  had  committed  hostilities  upon  the  coast,  and 
seemed  threatening  a  descent  upon  this  land. 

Influenced  by  this  perpetual  solicitude,  Dessalines 
now  turned  his  attention  to  measures  of  defence,  iu 


DESSALIN7ES    AS    EMPEROR   OF   HAYTI.  183 

case  the  French  should  a<rain  undertake  the  reduction 

v_> 

of  the  country.  It  was  ordered  that  at  the  first 
appearance  of  a  foreign  army  ready  to  land  upon  the 
shores  of  the  Island,  all  the  towns  upon  the  coast 
should  be  burnt  to  the  ground,  and  the  whole  popula 
tion  be  driven  to  the  fastnesses  of  the  interior. 

He  also  built  fortifications  in  the  mountains  as 
places  of  refuge  in  the  event  of  foreign  invasion. 
Always  violent  and  sanguinary,  when  there  remained 
no  whites  upon  whom  to  employ  his  ferocity,  his  cru 
elty  was  lavished  upon  his  own  subjects.  For  the 
slightest  causes,  both  blacks  and  mulattoes  were  put  to 
death  without  mercy  and  without  the  forms  of  trial. 
The  sight  of  blood  awakened  within  him  his  desire  of 
slaughter,  and  his  government  became  at  length  a 
fearful  despotism,  against  the  devouring  vengeance  of 
which  none,  not  even  those  of  his  own  household,  was 
safe.  The  generals  Clervaux,  Greffard,  and  Gabart 
died  suddenly  and  mysteriously;  and  the  aggressions  of 
Dessfilines,  directed  particularly  against  the  mulattoes, 
soon  awakened  the  vengeance  of  that  jealous  class, 
who  were  already  displeased  at  their  insignificance  in 
the  State,  and  at  the  exaltation  of  the  black  dynasty 
which  seemed  about  to  become  permanent  in  the 
country.  A  secret  conspiracy  was  accordingly  planned 
against  the  black  monarch,  and  when,  on  the  17th  of 
October,  1806,  he  commenced  a  journey  from  St. 
Marks  to  Port  au  Prince,  the  occasion  was  improved 
to  destroy  him.  A  party  of  mulattoes  lying  in  ambus 
cade  at  a  place  called  Pont  Rouge,  made  an  attack 
upon  him,  and  he  was  killed  at  the  first  fire. 

Thus  closed  the  career  of  Dessaliues,  a  man  who 
had  commenced  life  as  a  slave,  and  ended  as  an  em- 


184  THE   RISING   SON. 

peror;  a  man  whose  untiring  energy,  headlong  brav 
ery,  unsurpassed  audacity,'  and  native  genius  made 
him  to  be  feared  by  both  blacks  and  whites,  and 
whose  misdeeds  have  furnished  to  the  moralists  more 
room  for  criticism  than  any  other  man  whose  life  was 
passed  in  the  West  Indies. 

Yet  this  "monster/'  with  all  his  faults,  did  much 
for  the  redemption  of  his  race  from  slavery.  Had 
Dessalines  been  in  the  position  of  Toussaint,  he  would 
never  have  been  captured  and  transported  to  Europe. 
He  who  reads  the  history  of  the  St.  Domingo  strug 
gle  without  prejudice,  and  will  carefully  examine  the 
condition  of  parties,  see  the  efforts  made  by  the 
expatriated  planters  to  regain  possession  of  the  Island, 
and  view  impartially  the  cruel  and  exterminating  war 
upon  the  blacks,  as  carried  on  by  Le  Clcrc  and  Ko- 
chambeau,  cannnot  feel  like  throwing'  the  mantle  of 
charity  over  some  of  the  acts  of  Jean  Jacques  Dessa 
lines.  After  the  death  of  the  emperor,  the  victorious 
mulattoes  followed  up  their  success  by  attacking  the 
partisans  of  Dessaliues,  and  four  days  were  expended 
in  destroying  them.  Upon  the  21st  there  appeared  a 
proclamation,  portraying  the  crimes  of  the  fallen 
emperor,  and  announcing  that  the  country  had  been 
delivered  of  a  tyrant.  A  provisional  government  was 
then  constituted,  to  continue  until  time  could  be  af 
forded  for  the  formation  of  a  new  constitution,  and 
General  Christophe  was  proclaimed  the  provisional 
head  of  the  State. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WAR  BETWEEN  THE  BLACKS  AND  MULATTOES  OF  HAYTI. 

THE  ambitious  and  haughty  mulattoes  had  long  Been 
dissatisfied  with  the  obscure  condition  into  which  they 
had  been  thrown  by  the  reign  of  Dessalines;  and  at 
the  death  of  that  ruler,  they  determined  to  put  for 
ward  their  claim.  Therefore,  while  Christophe  was 
absent  from  the  capital,  the  mulattocs  called  a  con 
vention,  framed  a  constitution,  organized  a  republic, 
and  elected  for  their  president,  Alexandre  Petion. 

This  man  was  a  quadroon,  the  successor  of  Eigaud 
and  Clcrvaux  to  the  confidence  of  the  mulattocs.  He 
had  been  educated  at  the  military  school  at  Paris;  was 
of  refined  manners,  and  had  ever  been  characterized 
for  his  mildness  of  temper  and  the  insinuating  grace  of 
his  address.  He  was  a  skilful  engineer,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  elevation  to  power  he  passed  for  the  most 
scientific  officer  and  the  most  erudite  individual  among 
the  people  of  Hayti.  Attached  to  the  fortunes  of 
Rigaud,  Petion  had  acted  as  his  lieutenant  in  the  war 
against  Touissant,  and  had  accompanied  that  chief  to 
France.  Here  he  remained  until  the  departure  of  the 
expedition  under  Le  Clerc,  when  he  embarked"  in  that 

(185) 


18G  THE  RISING    SOX. 

disastrous  enterprise,  to  employ  his  talents  in  restor 
ing  his  country  to  the  dominion  of  France.  Petion 
joined  Dcssalines,  Christophc,  and  Clervaux  when 
they  revolted  and  turned  against  the  French,  and  aided 
in  gaining  the  final  independence  of  the  Island.  He 
was  commanding  a  battalion  of  mulattoes,  under  the 
government  of  Dessalines,  at  the  close  of  the  empire. 

Christophe,  therefore,  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  he 
had  a  rival  in  Petion,  rallied  hi3  forces,  and  started  for 
Port  au  Prince,  to  meet  his  enemy,  and  obtain  by 
conquest  what  had  been  refused  him  by  right  of 
succession;  and,  as  he  thought,  of  merit.  Petion  was 
already  in  the  field;  the  two  armies  met,  and  a  battle 
was  fought. 

In  this  contest,  the  impetuosity  of  Christophers  attack 
was  more  than  a  match  for  the  skill  and  science  of 
Petion;  and  the  new  president  was  defeated  in  his  first 
enterprise  against  the  enemy  of  his  government.  The 
ranks  of  Petion  were  soon  thrown  into  irretrievable 
confusion,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  driven  from 
the  field — Petion  himself  being  hotly  pursued  in  his 
flight,  finding  it  necessaiy,  in  order  for  the  preserva 
tion  of  his  life,  to  exchange  his  decorations  for  the 
garb  of  a  farmer,  whom  he  encountered  on  his  way, 
and  to  bury  himself  up  to  the  neck  in  a  marsh  until 
his  fierce  pursuers  had  disappeared. 

After  this  signal  success,  Christophe  pressed  forward 
to  Port  au  Prince,  and  laid  siege  to  that  town,  in  the 
hope  of  an  easy  triumph  over  his  rival.  But  Petion 
was  now  in  his  appropriate  sphere  of  action,  and 
Christophe  discovered  that  in  contending  against  an 
experienced  engineer  in  a  fortified  town,  success  was 
of  more  difficult  attainment  than  while  encountering 


WAR  BETWEEN  THE  BLACKS  AND  MULATTOES.  187 

the  same  enemy  in  the  open  field,  where  his  science 
could  not  be  brought  into  action.  Christophc  could 
make  no  impression  on  the  town;  and  feeling  ill  as 
sured  of  the  steadfastness  of  his  own  proper  govern 
ment  at  Cape  Frangois,  he  withdrew  his  forces  from 
the  investment  of  Port  au  Prince,  resolved  to  estab 
lish  in  the  North  a  separate  government  of  his  own, 
and  to  defer  to  some  more  favorable  opportunity  the 
attempt  to  subdue  his  rival  at  Port  au  Prince. 

Thus  placing  themselves  in  hostile  array  against  each 
other,  the  two  chiefs  of  Ilayti  employed  themselves  in 
strengthening  and  establishing  their  respective  govern 
ments,  and  in  attempts  to  gain  over  the  different  parts 
of  the  Island  to  an  acknowledgment  of  their  authority. 
Christophe  assumed  the  title  of  President  of  the  State, 
and  Petion,  of  the  Republic;  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  country  conferred  their  allegiance  according  to  the 
opinions  of  their  chiefs,  or  the  places  of  their  resi 
dence. 

The  successes  of  Christophe  in  his  late  campaign 
against  his  rival  at  Port  au  Prince,  had  encouraged 
him  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  complete  conquest 
over  him  when  he  had  strengthened  and  confirmed 
his  power  over  the  blacks  of  the  North.  The  greater 
part  of  this  province  had  already  declared  for  him, 
and  refused  to  acknowledge  the  new  president  at 
Port  au  Prince,  who  had  been  taken  from  among  the 
mulattoes  of  the  South.  In  this  state  of  public  feel 
ing,  Christophe  proceeded  to  issue  a  series  of  proc 
lamations  and  addresses  to  the  people  and  the  army, 
encouraging  them  to  hope  for  a  better  era  about  to 
arise  under  his  auspices,  in  which  tl^e  evils  of  foreign 
invasion  and  the  disaster  of  intestine  disturbance  were 


188  THE 'RISING  SON. 

to  cease,  and  the  wounds  of  the  country  to  be  healed 
by  the  restoration  of  peace  and  tranquillity.  He 
manifested  a  desire  to  encourage  the  prosperity  of 
commerce  and  agriculture;  and  by  thus  fostering  in 
dividual  enterprise,  to  ensure  the  happiness  of  the 
people  under  his  rule.  To  support  the  credit  of  his 
government  among  the  commercial  nations  abioad,  he 
dispatched  a  manifesto  to  each  of  them,  with  a  design 
to  remove  the  distrust  which  had  begun  to  be  enter 
tained  in  the  mercantile  world  of  the  now  governments 
of  Hayti. 

It  was  announced  in  these  dispatches  that  the  store 
houses  and  magazines  of  the. Island  were  crowded  and 
overflowing  with  the  rich  productions  of  the  Antilles, 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  foreign  vessels  to  exchange  for 

o  o  o 

them  the  produce  and  fabrics  of  other  lands ;  that  the 
vexatious  regulations  and  ignorant  prohibitions  oi  his 
predecessor  no  longer  existed  to  interfere  with  the  com 
mercial  prosperity  of  the  Island ;  and  that  protection 
and  encouragement  would  be  granted  to  commercial 
factors  from  abroad,  who  should  come  to  reside  in  the 
ports  of  the  country. 

Christophe  felt  that  his  assumption  of  power  was  but 
a  usurpation,  and  that  so  long  as  his  government  re 
mained  in  operation  without  the  formal  sanction  of 
the  people,  his  rival  at  Port  au  Prince  possessed  im 
mense  advantages  over  him,  inasmuch  as  he  had  been 
made  the  constituted  head  of  the  country  by  an  observ 
ance  of  the  forms  of  the  constitution.  To  remedy  this 
palpable  defect,  which  weakened  his  authority,  he  re 
solved  to  frame  another  constitution ,  which  would  con 
firm  him  in  the  power  he  had  usurped,  and  furnish 
him  with  a  legal  excuse  for  maintaining  his  present 


WAR   BETWEEN   TIIE   BLACKS   AND   MULATTOES.    189 

attitude.  In  accordance  with  this  policy  he  con 
voked  another  assembly  at  Cape  Francois,  composed 
of  the  generals  of  his  army  and  the  principal  citizens 
of  that  province,  and  after  a  short  session  these  sub 
servient  legislators  terminated  their  labors  by  giving 
to  the  world  another  constitution  of  the  country,  dated 
upon  the  17th  of  February,  1807.  This  new  enactment 
declared  all  persons  residing  upon  the  territory 
of  Hayti,  free  citizens,  and  that  the  government  was 
to  be  administered  by  a  supreme  magistrate,  who  was  to 
take  the  title  of  President  of  the  State,  and  General- 
in-Chief  of  the  land  and  the  naval  forces. 

The  office  was  not  hereditary,  but  the  president 
had  the  right  to  choose  his  successor  from  among  the 
generals  of  the  army;  and  associated  with  him  in  the 
government  there  was  to  exist  a  Council  of  State, 
consisting  of  nine  members,  selected  by  the  President 
from  among  the  principal  military  chiefs.  This,  like 
the  constitution,  which,  conferred  power  upon  Dessa- 
lines,  made  Christophe  an  autocrat,  though  he  was 
nominally  but  the  mere  chief  magistrate  of  a  republic. 

The  rival  government  of  Port  au  Prince  differed 
from  that  of  Christophe,  by  its  possessing  more  of  the 
forms  of  a  republic.  With  a  president  who  held  his 
power  for  life,  and  who  could  not  directly  appoint  his 
successor,  there  was  associated  a  legislative  body,  con 
sisting  of  a  chamber  of  representatives  chosen  di 
rectly  by  the  people,  and  a  senate  appointed  by  the 
'popular  branch  of  the  government,  to  sustain  or  con 
trol  the  president  in  the  exercise  of  his  authority. 

Hostilities  between  Christophe  and  Petion  were  car 
ried  on  for  a  long  time,  which  led  to  little  less  than 
the  enfceblement  of  both  parties.  The  black  chief, 


190  THE   RISING   SOX. 

however,  established  his  power  on  solid  foundations 
in  the  North,  while  Petion  succeeded  in  retaining  a 
firm  position  in  the  South.  Thus  was  the  Island  once 
more  unhappily  divided  between  two  authorities,  each 
of  which  watched  its  opportunity  for  the  overthrow 
of  the  other. 

The  struggle  between  the  two  presidents  of  Hayti 
had  now  continued  three  years,  when  a  new  competi 
tor  started  up,  by  the  arrival  of  Rigaud  from  France. 
He  had  passed  by  way  of  the  United  States,  and  ar 
rived  at  Aux  Cayes  on  the  7th  of  April,  1810.  This 
was  an  unexpected  event,  which  awakened  deep  solici 
tude  in  the  bosom  of  Petion,  who  could  not  avoid 
regarding  that  distinguished  mulatto  as  a  more  for 
midable  rival  than  Christophe.  He  feared  his  superior 
talents,  and  dreaded  the  ascendency  he  held  over  the 
mulatto  population.  Rigaud  was  welcomed  by  his 
old  adherents  with  enthusiastic  demonstrations  of  at 
tachment  and  respect;  and  after  enjoying  for  a  few 
days  the  hospitalities  that  were  so  emulously  offered  to 
him,  he  proceeded  on.  his  way  to  Port  au  Prince. 
Though  Petion  could  not  feel  at  his  ease  while  such 

^» 

a  rival  was  journeying  in  a  species  of  triumph 
through  the  country,  he  dared  not,  at  least  in  his 
present  condition,  to  make  an  open  manifestation  of 
his  displeasure,  or  employ  force  against  one  who  had 
such  devoted  partisans  at  his  command.  He  deter 
mined,  therefore,  to  mask  his  jealous  feelings,  and  wear 
an  exterior  of  complaisance,  until  he  could  discover 
the  designs  of  Rigaud.  The  latter  was  received  gra 
ciously  by  the  President,  whose  suspicions  were  all 
effectually  lulled  by  the  harmless  deportment  of  the 
great  mulatto  chieftain;  and  he  was  even  invested 


WAR   BETWEEN   THE   BLACKS    AND   MULATTOES.    191 

by  Petion  with  the  government  of  the  South.  This 
was  to  place  an  idol  in  the  very  temple  of  its  wor 
shippers,  for  Rigaud  returned  to  Aux  Cayes  to  draw 
all  hearts  to  himself.  No  one  in  thct  province  now 
cast  a  thought  upon  Petion ;  and  within  a  short  period 
Rigaud  was  in  full  possession  of  his  ancient  power. 
Petion,  affrighted  at  his  situation,  surrounded  as  he 
was  by  two  such  rivals  as  Rigaud  and  Christophe, 
began  an  open  rupture  with  the  former  before  ho  had 
fully  ascertained  whether  ho  could  sustain  himself 

against  the   hostilities    of    the   latter.     Some   of  the 

o< 

mulattoes,  who,  with  a  spirit  of  patriotism  or  clanship 
foresaw  the  triumphs  which  would  be  offered  to  the 
blacks  by  civil  dissensions  among  themselves,  pro 
posed  a  compromise  between  Rigaud  and  Pdtion;  but 
this  was  rejected  by  the  latter,  who  began  to  make 
preparations  to  invade  Rigaud's  province. 

Resolved  to  profit  by  this  division,  Christophe 
marched  against  Petion,  but  the  common  danger 
brought  about  a  union,  and  Christophe  judged  it  pru 
dent  to  retire. 

When  Petion  had  been  left  at  peace,  by  the  temporary 
retirement  of  Christophe  from  the  war  against  him, 
all  his  former  jealousy  was  awakened  within  him 
against  Rigaud.  The  treaty  of  Miragoane  had  been 
wrung  from  him  by  the  hard  necessities  of  his  situa 
tion,  which  were  such  as  to  force  him  to  choose  be 
tween  yielding  himself  a  prey  to  the  warlike  ambition 
of  Christophe,  or  complying  with  the  urgent  demands 
pressed  upon  him  by  the  political  importance  of 
Rigaud.  A  compact  thus  brought  about  by  the  stern 
compulsion  of  an  impending  danger,  and  not  yielded 
as  a  voluntary  sacrifice  for  the  preservation  of  peace, 


192  THE  RISING  SOX. 

was  not  likely  to  remain  unviolated  when  the  necessity 
of  the  moment  had  passed  away  and  was  forgotten. 
Thus,  as  has  been  observed,  when  Christophe,  engaged 
as  he  was  in  renovating  the  structure  of  his  govern 
ment,  had  ceased  from  his  hostilities  against  Potion, 
the  latter  became  immediately  infested  with  all  his 
former  dislike  of  Rigaud.  Intrigues  were  commenced 
against  him,  to  shake  the  fidelity  of  his  followers, 

.  and  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  Southern  blacks  against 
the  mulatto  who  had  been  placed  over  them  as  their 
chief. 

Emissaries  were  employed  in  all  parts  of  that  prov 
ince,  reminding  the  people  of  the  obligations  which 
they  owed  to  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Republic 
at  Port  an  Prince,  and  conjuring  them  to  remember 
that  the  preservation  of  the  country  against  the  designs 
of  Franco  could  only  be  assured  by  the  unanimous  sup 
port  given  to  the  chief  of  the  Republic,  who  alone  could 
perpetuate  the  institutions  of  the  country,  and  main- 

.  tain  its  independence  against  its  foreign  enemies. 

An  armistice  concluded  between  Petion  and  the 
Maroon  chief,  Gomar,  furnished  an  opportunity  to  the 
former  to  arm  this  formidable  brigand  against  the 
government  of  the  South.  Gomar 's  followers,  eager 
for  new  scenes  of  plunder,  commenced  their  depreda 
tions  in  the  plain  of  Aux  Cayes,  and  the  plantations 
in  that  quarter  were  soon  subjected  to  the  same  rav 
ages  as  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of  those  of  Grand 
Anse.  While  Rigaud  was  involved  in  a  perplexing 
war  with  these  banditti,  and  had  already  discovered 
that  the  allegiance  of  his  own  followers  at  Aux  Cayes 
was  wavering  and  insecure,  he  was  dismayed  at  the 
intelligence  that  Petion  had  already  invaded  his  tor- 


WAR   BETWEEN 'THE   BLACKS    AND   MULATTOES.    193 

ritory  at  the  head  of  an  army.  Thus  were  the  mnlat- 
tocs  committing  suicide  upon  their  political  hopes,  if 
not  upon  their  very  existence,  by  a  mad  strife  in  the 
cause  of  their  respective  chiefs,  when  their  formidable 
enemy  in  the  North  was  concentrating  his  power,  and 
watching  a  favorable  moment  to  pour  destruction 
upon  both. 

Rigaud  hastened  to  collect  his  forces,  in  order  to 
defend  his  territory  against  this  invasion  of  Petion; 
and  the  latter,  having  already  passed  the  moun 
tains  of  La  Hotte,  was  met  by  his  antagonist  in  the 
plain  of  Aux  Cayes.  A  furious  battle  immediately 
took  place;  and  after  a  gallant  resistance,  Rigaud's 
troops  had  already  begun  to  give  ground  before  the 
overpowering  numbers  and  successive  charges  of  the 
enemy,  when  a  strong  reinforcement  of  troops  under 
the  command  of  General  Borgella,  coming  in  from 
Aquiii,  turned  the  tide  of  battle  in  favor  of  Rigaud,  and 
Petion  was  defeated  in  his  turn,  and  his  army  almost 
annihilated  in  the  rout  which  followed.* 

The  joy  of  this  signal- victory  over  his  opponent, 
which  had  driven  him  from  the  southern  territory,  did 
not  efface  the  bitter  recollections  which  had  fastened 
themselves  upon  the  sensitive  mind  of  Rigaud.  In 
that  province,  where  he  had  once  been  all-powerful, 
and  Petion  a  subservient  instrument  of  his  will,  he 
saw  that  his  former  glory  had  so  far  departed  that  he 
could  not  trust  the  fidelity  of  his  own  personal  attend 
ants,  while  his  former  lieutenant  was  now  his  tri 
umphant  rival.  The  applauses  and  sworn  devotsdness 
with  which  the  multitude  had  once  followed  in  the 
march  of  his  power  had  now  with  proverbial  fickleness, 

13  *  Lacroix. 


194  THE   RISING   SON. 

been  exchanged  for  the  coldness  of  indifference,  or  an 
open  alliance  with  his  foes. 

In  this  desolate  state  of  his  fortunes,  Rigaud  had  lost 
his  wonted  energies;  and  instead  of  following  up  his 
late  success,  and  arming  himself  for  the  last  desper 
ate  effort  to  crush  his  insinuating  but  unwarlike  op 
ponent,  he  returned  to  Aux  Cayes,  to  new  solicitudes 
and  new  experience  of  the  faithlessness  of  that  inob 
whose  whirlwind-march  he  had  once  guided  by  a  sin 
gle  word.  Petion's  partisans  had  now  gained  over  to 
their  opinions  a  formidable  proportion  of  the  people 
of  Aux  Cayes,  and  Rigaud  had  scarcely  entered  his 
capital  when  a  multitude  of  blacks  and  mulattoes  were 
gathered  in  the  streets  opposite  the  government  house. 

Their  cries  of  vengeance  upon  Rigaud,  and  their 
menacing  preparations,  struck  a  panic  into  the  little 
body  of  followers,  who,  faithful  among  the  faithless, 
still  adhered  with  unshaken  constancy  to  the  declining 
fortunes  of  their  once  glorious  chief.  His  friends  be 
sought  Rigaud  not  to  attempt  the  hazardous  experi 
ment  of  showing  himself  in  the  gallery  to  persuade 
the  mob  to  disperse.  But  not  suspecting  that  the 
last  remnant  of  his  once  mighty  influence  ha.l  de 
parted  from  him,  Rigaud  persevered  in  his  design, 
and  advancing  to  the  gallery  of  the  house,  he  demanded 
in  a  mild  voice  of  the  leaders  of  the  multitude  what  they 
intended  by  a  movement  so  threatening,  when  he  re 
ceived  in  answer  a  volley  of  musketry  aimed  at  his 
life. 

But   he   remained   unharmed,   though  he   returned 

*  <-*• 

into  the  house  heart-sick  and  desperate.  A  furious 
onset  was  immediately  commenced  from  without,  and 
this  was  answered  by  a  vigilant  and  deadly  defence 


WAR  BETWEEN  THE  BLACKS  AND  MULATTOES.   195" 

from  Risraud's  followers  within,     The  contest  contin- 

|C 

ued  through  the  night,  but  the  mob  were  defeated  in 
every  attempt  which  they  made  to  obtain  a  lodgment 
within  the  walls  of  the  edifice,  and  no  decisive  suc 
cess  could  be  obtained  to  disperse  them.  Eigaud,  now 
convinced  that  the  witchery  of  his  power  existed  no 
longer,  made  a  formal  abdication  of  his  authority, 
and  nominated  General  Borgella  as  his  successor  in" 
the  command  of  the  South.  Rigaud,  worn  with 
chagrin  and  humiliation,  retired  to  his  plantation, 
Laborde,  where  he  died  within  a  few  days  after,  a 
victim  to  the  faithlessness  of  the  multitude. 

Thus  ended  the  life  of  Andre  Rigaud,  the  ablest 
scholar  and  most  accomplished  military  man  of  any 
color  which  the  St.  Domingo  revolution  had  pro 
duced.  The  death  of  Rigaud  had  the  effect  of 
uniting  the  mulatto  generals,  Borgella  and  Boyer 
under  Petion,  and  against  Christophe;  the  latter, 
however,  succeeded  in  maintaining  his  authority  in 
the  North,  and  still  looked  forward  to  a  time  when 
he  should  be  able  to  govern  the  whole.  Island. 

Christophe,  like  Dessalines,  had  been  made  a  mon 
arch  by  the  constitution  which  formed  a  basis  to  his 
power;  but  he  had  at  first  only  assumed  to  himself 
the  modest  title  of  President.  This  moderation  in 
his  ambition  arose  from  the  desire  to  supplant  Petion 
in  his  government,  and  become  the  supreme  head  of 
the  whole  country  without  any  rival  or  associate.  For 
this  purpose  it  was  necessary  to  surround  his  power 
with  republican  forms;  to  make  it  attractive  in  the 
estimation  of  the  better  class  of  blacks  and  mulat- 
toes,  with  whom  republican  notions  happened  to  be 
in  vogue. 


196  THE    RISING   SOX. 

But  the  prospect  of  superseding  Potion  in  his 
authority  had  become  less  clear  with  every  succeed 
ing  attempt,  of  Christophe  against  him;  and  after 
years  of  untiring  hostility,  it  was  evident  that  Petion 
was  more  firmly  enthroned  in  the  hearts  of  his  people 
than  at  the  commencement  of  his  administration,  and 
that  no  so]id  and  durable  advantages  had  been  gained 
over  him  in  the  field.  Christophe  was  thus  led  to 
change  his  policy;  and,  instead  of  seeking  to  assimi 
late  the  nature  of  the  two  governments,  in  order  to 
supplant  his  rival  in  the  affections  of  his  countrymen, 
he  now  resolved  to  make  his  government  the  very  con 
trast  of  the  other,  and  leave  it  to  the  people  of  his 
country  to  decide  which  of  the  two  forms  of  power 
was  the  best  adapted  to  the  nature  and  genius  of  the 
population  over  which  they  maintained  their  sway. 

The  one  was  a  republic  in  direct  contact  with  the  peo 
ple,  and  governed  by  a  plain  engineer  officer,  who, 
though  clothed  with  the  sovereignty  of  the  state, 
"bore  his  faculties  so  meekly"  that  he  mixed  freely 
with  his  fellow-citizens,  but  as  a  man  in  high  repute 
for  his  intelligence  and  his  virtues. 

Christophe  determined  that ,  the  other  should  be  a 
monarchy,  surrounded  by  all  the  insignia  of  supreme 
power,  and  sustained  by  an  hereditary  nobility,  who, 
holding  their  civil  and  military  privileges  from  the 
crown,  would  be  props  to  the  throne,  and  maintain 
industry  and  order  among  the  subjects  of  the  govern 
ment.  The  Republic  was  a  government  of  the  mulat- 
toes,  and  had  been  placed  under  the  rule  of  a  mulatto 
president.  The  monarchy  was  to  be  essentially 
and  throughout,  a  dominion  of  the  pure  blacks,  be 
tween  whom  and  the  rnalaitoes  it  was  alleged  there 


WAR   BETWEEN   THE    BLACKS   AND   MULATTOES.    197 

was  such   diversity  of   interest   and   personal   feeling 
that  no  common  Sympathy  could  exist  between  them. 

In  pursuance  of  this  new  policy,  Christophers 
Council  of  State  was  convoked,  and  commenced  its 
labors  to  modify  the  constitution  of  February,  1807,  in 
order  to  make  it  conformable  to  the  new  ambition  of 
Christophe.  With  this  council  there  had  been  associ 
ated  the  principal  generals  of  the  army  and  several 
private  citizens,  who  were  sufficiently  in  the  favor  of 
Christophe  to  be  ranked  among  those  willing  to  do  him 
honor.  The  labors  of  this  council  were  brief,  and  upon 
the  20th  of  March,  1811,  the  session  was  closed  by  the 
adoption  of  a  new  form  of  government.  The  imperial 
constitution  of  1805  was  modified  to  form  an  hereditary 
monarchy  in  the  North,  and  to  place  the  crown  of  Hayti 
upon  Christophe,  under  the  title  of  Henry  the  First. 

In  their  announcement  to  the  world  of  this  new  or 
ganization  of  the  government,  the  Council  declared  that 
the  constitution  which  had  been  framed  in  the  year 
1807,  imperfect  as  it  was,  had  been  adapted  to  the  cir 
cumstances  of  the  country  at  that  epoch,  but  that  the 
favorable  moment  had  arrived  to  perfect  their  work, 
and  establish  a  permanent  form  of  government,  suited 
to  the  nature  and  condition  of  the  people  over  which  it 
was  to  bear  rule. 

They  added  that  the  majority  of  the  nation  felt  with 
them  the  necessity  of  establishing  an  hereditary  mon 
archy  in  the  country,  inasmuch  as  a  government 
administered  by  a  single  individual  was,  less  than  any 
other,  subject  to  the  chances  of  revolution,  as  it  pos 
sessed  within  itself  a  higher  power  to  maintain  the 
laws,  to  protect  the  rights  of  citizens,  to  preserve 
internal  order,  and  maintain  respect  abroad;  that  the 


198  THE  RISING    SON. 

title  of  governor-general,  which  had  been  conferred 
upon  Toussaint  L'Ouverture,  was  insufficient  to  the 
dignity  of  a  supreme  magistrate ;  that  that  of  emperor, 
which  had  been  bestowed  upon  Dessalines,  could  not 
in  strictness  be  conferred  but  upon  the  sovereign  of 
several  states  united  under  one  government,  while  that 
of  president  did  not,  in  fact,  carry  with  it  the  idea  of 
sovereign  power  at  all.  In  consideration  of  these 
grave  objections  to  all  other  terms  to  designate  the  su 
preme  head  of  the  state,  the  council  expressed  itself 
driven  at  last  to  adopt  the  title  of  king.  The  council 
next  proceeded  by  a  formal  decree  to  confer  the  title  of 
King  of  Hayti  upon  Henri  Christophe  and  his  successors 
in  the  male  line,  and  to  make  such  changes  and  mod 
ifications  in  the  constitution  of  1807  as  were  required  by 
the  recent  alteration  in  the  structure  of  the  govern 
ment. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  the  Council  of  State,  which,  with 
the  additions  made  to  their  number  from  among  the 
chiefs  of  the  army  and  the  leaders  among  the  popula 
tion,  was  pompously  styled  the  Council  General,  in 
their  robes  of  state,  and  headed  by  their  president, 
proceeded  to  the  palace  of  Christophe,  to  announce 
in  formal  terms  the  termination  of  their  labors,  which 
had  resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  new  constitution, 
making  the  crown  of  Hayti  hereditary  in  the  family 
%of  the  reigning  prince.  After  a  speech  filled  with  the 
very  essence  of  adulation,  the  President  of  the  Council, 
General  Romaine,  exclaimed  in  the  presence  of  the  sov 
ereign,  "People  of  Hayti,  regard  with  pride  your 
present  situation.  Cherish  no  longer  any  fears  for  the 
future  prosperity  of  your  country,  and  address  your 
gratitude  to  Heaven;  for  while  there  exists  a  Henry 


WAR  BETWEEN  THE  BLACKS  AND  MULATTOES.  199 

• 

upon  the  throne,  a  Sully  will  ever  be  found  to  direct 
the  march  of  your  happiness." 

On  the  day  following,  the  new  constitution  was  pro 
claimed  by  official  announcement  throughout  the  king 
dom,  and  Christophe  entered  upon  the  exercise  of.  the 
kingly  powers  which  had  been  conferred  upon  him. 
The  first  act  of  his  reign  was  the  promulgation  of  a  royal 
edict,  creating  an  hereditary  nobility,  as  a  natural  sup 
port  to  his  government,  and  an  institution  to  give  dclat 
and  permanence  to  his  sovereignty.  These  dignitaries 
of  the  kingdom  were  taken  mostly  from  among  the 
chiefs  of  the  army,  and  consisted  of  two  princes,  not 
of  the  royal  blood,  of  seven  dukes,  twenty-two  counts, 
thirty-five  barons,  and  fourteen  chevaliers. 

Of  priority  in  rank  among  the  princes  of  the  king 
dom,  were  those  of  the  royal  blood,  consisting  of  the 
two  sons  of  Christophe,  the  eldest  of  whom,  as  heir 
apparent,  received  the  title  of  Prince  Royal. 

Having  finished  these  creations  of  his  new  mon 
archy,  and  received  the  two  royal  crowns  of  Hayti, 
Christophe  appointed  the  2d  of  June,  1811,  as  the 
day  for  his  coronation.  All  the  chiefs  of  the  army 
and  other  grandees  of  the  realm  had  orders  to  repair 
to  the  capital ,  and  among  them  there  appeared  a  dep 
utation  from  the  blacks  of  the  Spanish  territory,  who 
had  assumed  to  themselves  the  pompous  appellations  of 
Don  Raphael  de  Villars,  chief  commandant  of  San 
tiago;  Don  Raymond  de  Villa,  commandant  of  Vega; 
Don  Vincent  de  Luna,  and  Don  Jose  Thabanes,  who 
at  least  represented  the  Spanish  Creoles  by  the 
grandiloquence  of  their  names.  An  immense  pavil 
ion  had  been  erected  upon  the  Place  d'Armes  of 
Cape  Henry,  furnished  with  a  throne,  galleries  for 


200  THE  RISING  SON. 

• 

the  great  ladies  of  the  court,  chapels,  oratories,  an 
orchestra,  and  all  the  arrangements  necessary  for  the 
august  ceremony.  This  was  performed  in  due  state- 
liness  by  the  new  archbishop  of  Hayti,  the  capuchin 
Brclle,  who  consecrated  Christophe  King  of  Hayti,  un 
der  the  title  of  Henry  the  First. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 

CIIRISTOPHE  AS  KINO,    AND  PETION    AS    PRESIDENT  OP 

HAYTI 

CHRISTOPIIE,  now  enthroned  as  the  sovereign  of  the 
North,  seized  upon  the  leisure  which  was  afforded  him 
after  perfecting  the  internal  details  of  his  new  gov 
ernment,  to  attempt  a  peaceable  union  of  the  blacks 
of  the  South  with  those  who  were  already  the  loyal 
subjects  of  what  he  considered  the  legitimate  author 
ity  of  the  Island.  For  this  purpose  a  large  deputa 
tion  was  dispatched  from  his  capital,  to  proceed  into 
the  territory  of  the  republic  as  the  envoys  of  the 
black  king,  who  proposed  the  union  of  the  whole  pop 
ulation  in  one  undivided  government,  secured  under 
the  form  of  an  hereditary  mouarchy,  both  from  the 
revolutions  and  weakness  of  one,  the  structure  of  which 
was  more  popular.  These  emissaries,  sent  to  declare 
the  clemency  and  peaceful  intentions  of  the  monarch 
of  the  North,  were  taken  from  among  the  prisoners 
who  had  fallen  into  the  power  of  Christophe  by  the 
capitulation  of  the  Mole  St.  Nicholas,  and  who  bid 
been  adopted  into  the  royal  army,  and  made  the 
sharers  of  the  royal  bounty  of  the  black  king.  To 

(201) 


202  THE    RISING   SON. 

assist  in  this  new  measure,  a  proclamation  was  issued 
from  the  palace  at  Cape  Henry  on  the  4th  of  September, 
1811,  addressed  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  South,  who 
were  no  longer  called  the  enemies  of  the  royal  govern 
ment,  but  erring  children,  misled  by  the  designing;  and 
they  were  implored  to  return  to  their  allegiance  to 
the  paternal  government  of  that  chief  who  had  just 
been  constituted  tho  hereditary  prince  of  the  blacks. 
"A  new  era,"  said  this  royal  document,  "has  now 
dawned  upon  the  destinies  of  Hayti. 

"New  grades,  new  employments,  new  dignities;  in 
fine,  an  order  of  hereditary  nobility  are  hereafter  to 
be  the  rewards  of  those  who  devote  themselves  to  the 
State.  You  can  participate  in  all  these  advantages. 
Come,  then,  to  join  the  ranks  of  those  who  have  placed 
themselves  under  the  banners  of  the  royal  authority, 
which  has  no  other  design  than  the  happiness  and  glory 
of  the  country." 

This  policy  of  Christophe  was  to  employ  the  weap 
ons  of  Petion  against  himself.  But  the  republican 
chieftain  was  in  better  play  with  the  foils  than  his  more 
unsophisticated  rival  of  the  monarchy,  and  Christophe 
soon  discovered  that  while  he  was  attacking  the  gov 
ernment  of  Petion  by  appeals  to  the  blacks,  who  were 
to  be  dazzled  with  his  royal  goodness,  the  arts  of  his 
rival  were  employed  in  the  very  heart  of  his  domin 
ions,  and  had  already  insinuated  the  poison  of  rebel 
lion  among  his  most  trusted  subjects.  His  infant  navy 
had  hardly  been  launched  and  manned  with  the  objects 
of  his  clemency  and  royal  favor,  when  a  detachment 
of  the  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Princess  Royal  and 
several  brigs  of  war,  abjured  his  authority,  and  raised 
the  standard  of  the  republic.  This  defection  was 


CHRISTOPHE    AS   KING.  203 

punished  by  an  English  frigate  under  Sir  James  Lucas 
Yeo,*  who  captured  the  rebellious  squadron,  and  re 
stored  the  agents  to  Christophe 's  vengeance. 

Indignant  at  these  attempts  of  the  mulatto  govern- 
•  ment  to  divert  the  affections  of  his  subjects  from  their 
sworn  allegiance  to  his  throne,  Christophe  resolved  on 
immediate  war  and  the  employment  of  the  sword  against 
that  race  whose  pride  and  hatred  made  them  the  ene 
mies  of  the  pure  blacks.  Conscious  of  his  military 
superiority,  he  resolved  to  make  his  preparations  for 
the  intended  enterprise  such  as  to  ensure  success  over 
his  opponent,  and  all  the  disposable  forces  of  his  army 
were  gathered  together  for  an  invasion  of  the  territories 
of  the  Republic. 

The  Artibonite  was  soon  crossed,  and  Potion's 
forces,  under  the  command  of  General  Boyer,  were 
met  and  defeated  in  the  gorges  of  the  mountains  of 
St.  Marks ;  and  the  way  thus  laid  open  for  an  imme 
diate  advance  on  Port  au  Prince. 

The  siege  of  this  place  was  the  object  of  the  expedi 
tion,  and  Christophe  pressed  forward  once  more  to  try 
the  fortune  of  war  against  his  hated  enemy.  So 
sudden  was  the  invasion,  that  Petion  was  taken  totally 
unprepared — a  considerable  portion  of  his  army  being 
absent  from  the  capital,  employed  in  watching  the 
movements  of  Ge'neral  Borgella  in  the  south. 

In  this  state  of  weakness  the  town  might  have  been 
surprised,  and  fallen  an  easy  prey  to  the  invading 
army,  but  Christophe  had  not  calculated  upon  such  a 
speedy  result,  and  though  his  vanguard  had  seized 
upon  a  post  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  town,  while  the 
inhabitants  in  their  exposed  condition  were  panic- 

*  Lacroix. 


204  THE   RISING   SON. 

struck  at  the  certain  prospect  of  being  captured  imme 
diately,  the  arrival  of  the  main  body  of  Christophe's 
army  being  delayed  twenty-four  hours,  time  was  thus 
afforded  to  Petion  to  rally  and  concentrate  his  means 
of  defence,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  an  effectual  resist 
ance.  Christophe's  whole  force  came  up  the  next  day, 
and  Petion' s  capital  was  nearly  surrounded  by  a  for 
midable  train  of  artillery,  and  an  army  of  twenty 
thousand  men. 

In  this  gigantic  attempt  of  their  old  adversary,  the 
mulattoes  felt  with  terror  that  defeat  and  conquest 
would  not  be  to  them  a  simple  change  of  government, 
but  w7ould  involve  in  its  tremendous  consequences  the 
total  extermination  of  their  race.  In  so  hazardous  a 
situation,  they  were  taught  to  reflect  upon  the  madness 
of  their  ambition,  which,  by  sowing  dissensions  among 
themselves,  had  exposed  them,  weak  and  unarmed,  to 
the  whole  power  of  their  natural  enemy.  In  so  fearful 
a  crisis,  the  resolution  was  at  last  taken  to  repair 
their  former  error,  and  thus  avert  the  disasters  which 
now  overhung  them  by  an  attenuated  thread.  Ne 
gotiations  were  hastily  commenced  with  General 
Borgella,  who,  sympathizing  with  his  brethren  of  Port 
au  Prince  in  their  perilous  situation,  consented  to 
conditions  of  peace,  and  even  yielded  himself  to  the 
orders  of  Petion.  The  assistance  of  the  army  of  the 
South  was  thus  secured,  and  General  Borgella  at  the 
head  of  his  forces  marched  to  the  assistance  of  Petion, 
and  succeeded,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  Christophe, 
in  gaining  an  entrance  into  the  town. 

The  operations  of  the  siege  had  already  commenced; 
but  the  mulattoes,  now  united,  were  enabled  to 
make  a  vigorous  defence.  Christophe's  formidable 


CIIIIISTOPHE    AS    KIXG.  205 

train  of  artillery  had  been  mounted  in  batteries  upon 
the  heights  above  the  town,  and  kept  up  a  slow  but 
censeless  fire  upon  the  works  of  the  garrison  within. 

Petion  conducted  the  defence  with  considerable 
ability,  and  a  succession  of  vigorous  sallies  made 
upon  the  lines  of  the  besieging  army  without  the  town, 
taught  the  latter  that  they  had  a  formidable  adversary 
to  overcome  before  the  town  would  yield  itself  to  their 
mercy. 

Amidst  these  continued  struggles,  which  daily  gave 
employment  to  the  two  forces,  and  had  already  begun 
to  inflame  Christophe  with  the  rage  of  vexation  that 
his  anticipated  success  was  so  likely  to  be  exchanged 
for  defeat,  Petion  had,  one  day,  at  the  head  of  a  re- 
connoitering  party,  advanced  too  far  beyond  his  lines, 
when  he  was  pursued  by  a  squadron  of  the  enemy's 
cavalry. 

The  President  of  the  Republic  had  been  discovered 
by  the  decorations  upon  his  hat;  and  the  enemy  kept 
up  a  hot  pursuit,  which  hung  upon  the  very  footsteps  of 
the  mulatto  commander- in-chief,  whose  escape  in  such 
circumstances  seemed  impossible,  when  one  of  his 
officers  devoted  himself  to  death  to  save  the  life  of  his 
chief. 

Exchanging  hats  with  the  president,  he  rode  swiftly 
in  another  direction.     The  whole  party   of  the  enemy , 
were  thus  drawn  after  him,  and  he  was  soon  overtaken 
and  cut  down,  while  Petion  made  his  escape  into  the 
town. 

The  siege  of  Port  au  Prince  had  now  continued  two 
months,  and  the  obstinacy  of  its  defence  had  already 

v 

begun  to  make  Christophe  despair  of  final  success, 
when  an  occurrence  took  place  which  determined  him 


206  THE   RISING   SON. 

to  raise  it  immediately.  Indignant  at  the  tyranny  of 
the  black  king,  several  chiefs  of  his  army  had  formed  a 
conspiracy  to  assassinate  him  during  his  attendance  at 
church.  Christophe  was  always  punctual  at  mass, 
and  upon  these  occasions  the  church  was  filled  with 
officers  in  waiting,  and  surrounded  with  soldiers.  It 
had  been  arranged  to  stab  him  while  he  was  kneeling 
at  the  altar,  and  then  to  proclaim  the  death  of  the 
tyrant  to  the  soldiery,  whose  attachment  to  their  mon 
arch,  it  was  thought,  was  not  so  warm  as  to  render 
such  an  enterprise  hazardous. 

This  dangerous  undertaking  had  been  prepared  in 
such  secrecy,  that  a  great  number  of  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  army  had  been  drawn  into  the  ranks 
of  the  conspirators,  and  all  things  were  now  in  readiness 
for  the  final  blow.  In  this  stage  of  the  transaction,  a, 
mulatto  proved  faithless  to  his  associates,  and  in 
formed  Christophe  minutely  of  all  the  plans  of  the 
conspiracy,  and  of  all  the  agents  who  had  devoted 
themselves  to  his  destruction. 

The  monarch,  thus  possessed  of  a  full  knowledge 
of  all  that  had  been  prepared  against  him,  concealed 
the  vengeful  feelings  that  burned  within  him  under 
an  appearance  of  the  utmost  composure.  He  feared 
lest  a  whisper  intimating  that  he  had  been  informed 
«  of  the  intentions  of  the  conspirators  might  snatch  them 
from  his  vengeance  by  urging  them  to  desert  to  the 
enemy.  At  the  usual  hour  the  troops  paraded  at  the 
church,  and  Christophe,  instead  of  entering  to  assist 
at  the  mass,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  army, 
and  designated  by  their  names  the  leaders  of  the  con 
spiracy,  who  were  ordered  to  march  to  the  centre. 


CHRISTOPHE    AS   KING.  207 

An  order  was  then  given  to  the  troops  to  fire,  and 
the  execution  was  complete. 

A  black  named  Etienne  Magny,  was  one  of  the 
ablest  of  Christophe's  generals;  and  though  he  .had 
been  secretary  to  the  council  of  state  that  had  raised 
the  latter  to  the  throne  of  Hayti,  he  had  now  become 
so  dissatisfied  with  his  work  that  nothing  retained 
him  to  the  standard  of  his  king  but  the  reflection  that 
his  family,  whom  he  had  left  at  Cape  Henry,  would  be 
required  to  pay  the  forfeit  of  his  defection  with  their 
heads.  A  body  of  black  soldiers,  who  were  upon  the 
point  of  deserting  to  the  army  of  Petion,  willing  to 
give  eclat  to  their  defection  by  taking  their  com 
mander  with  them,  surrounded  the  tent  of  Magny  by 
night,  and  communicated  to  him  their  intention.  The 
black  general  hesitated  not  to  express  his  willingness  to 
accompany  them;  but  he  urged  that  tenderness  for  his 
family  forbade  an  attempt  which  would  doom  them  all 
to  certain  destruction. 

The  black  soldiers  refused  to  yield  to  these  con 
siderations,  and  seizing  upon  Magny,  they  bore  him 
off  undressed,  and  without  his  arms,  into  the  town. 
To  preserve  the  lives  of  Magny 's  family,  Petion 
treated  him  as  a  prisoner  of  war;  and  he  remained  at 
Port  au  Prince  until  the  death  of  Christophe,  when 
he  was  made  the  commander  of  the  North  under 
Boyer. 

Christophe,  discouraged  at  his  defeats,  and  enraged 
at  the  sweeping  defections  which  were  every  day  di 
minishing  the  numbers  of  his  army,  and  strengthening 
the  resources  of  his  rival,  now  commenced  his  retreat 
towards  the  north,  whence  intelligence  had  lately 
reached  him  of  designs  in  preparation  against  him 


208  THE   RISING    SON. 

among  his  own  subjects.  The  army  of  the  republic, 
under  General  Boyer,  commenced  a  pursuit.  The 
cause  of  Petion  seemed  triumphant.  Boyer  pressed 
closely  upon  the  rear  of  the  royal  army,  and  Christo- 
phe  seemed  on  the  point  of  losing  all,  when  the 
cautious  policy  of  Petion  restrained  Boyer's  activity, 
and  the  republicans  turned  back  from  the  pursuit. 
Christophe  had  been  foiled  in  his  great  effort  by 
Petion  and  Borgella,  and  he  now  regarded  the  mulat- 
toes  with  a  hatred  so  deep  and  fiendlike,  that  nothing 
would  satisfy  the  direness  of  his  vengeance  but  the 
utter  extermination  of  that  race.  A  body  of  mulatto 
women  of  the  town  of  Gonaives,  who  had  sympathized 
with  their  brethren  of  Port  au  Prince  in  the  struggle 

oo 

which  the  latter  were  maintaining  against  the  power  of 
Christophe,  and  with  this  communion  of  feeling  had 
made  prayers  to  the  Virgin  against  the  success  of 
their  king,  became  the  first  victims  of  the  rage  of 
Christophe  against  their  race. 

They  were  marched  out  of  the  town,  and  all  sub 
jected  to  military  execution,  without  a  distinction  in 
their  punishment  or  consideration  of  mercy  for  their 
sex.  Christophe  had  long  ago  resolved  to  rest  the 
foundation  of  his  power  upon  the  support  of  the  pure 
blacks,  and  he  now  determined  to  make  his  adminis 
tration  one  of  ceaseless  hatred  and  persecution  to  the 
mulattoes. 

Through  the  influence  of  this  policy,  he  hoped  to 
make  the  number  of  the  blacks  prevail  over  the  superior 
intelligence  and  bravery  of  the  mulattoes. 


,  CHAPTER  XIX. 

PEACE  IN  HAYTI,    AND  DEATH  OF  PETION. 

CHRISTOPHE  had  now  discovered  the  too  palpable 
truth,  that  so  far  from  his  possessing  the  means  to 
drive  his  rival  from  the  government  of  the  South,  all 
his  cares  and  precautions  were  requisite  to  maintain 
the  sovereignty  over  his  own  subjects  of  the  North. 
A  train  of  perpetual  suspicions  kept  his  jealousy  ever 
alive,  and  vexed  by  the  tortures  of  eternal  solicitude, 
his  despotic  temper  grew  by  the  cruelty  which  had 
become  its  aliment.  Together  with  this  perpetual 
inquietude  for  the  safety  of  his  power,  which  made 
the  new  throne  of  Hayti  a  pillow  of  thorns  and 
torture,  other  considerations  had  their  influence  to 
arrest  the  hostilities  between  the  two  chiefs  of  the 
country.  The  giant  power  of  Napoleon  had  now  ex 
tended  itself  over  almost  all  the  thrones  of  Europe, 
and  with  such  an  infinity  of  means  at  his  disposal, 
it  was  yearly  expected  that  another  armament,  pro 
portioned  to  the  overgrown  power  of  the  French 
Emperor,  would  be  sent  to  crush  the  insurgents  of 
St.  Domingo,  and  restore  that  island  once  more  to 
the  possession  of  its  ancient  colonists. 
14 


210  THE   RISING    SON. 

Influenced  by  the  fears  inspired  by  these  forebodings, 
the  two  governments  of  Hayti  were  actuated  by  a  com 
mon  instinct  of  self-preservation  to  cease  from  their 
warfare,  and  instead  of  spending  their  resources  in  a 
civil  strife  which  threatened  to  become  interminable,  to 
employ  themselves  in  giving  permanence  to  their 
existing  condition,  and  prosperity  to  the  country 
under  their  control.  The  population,  which  had  been 
employed  in  the  armies  of  the*  two  powers,  had  been 
taken  from  their  labors  upon  the  soil,  and  the  ravages 
of  war  had  consumed  and  destroyed  the  scanty  growth 
of  the  plantations. 

Amidst  this  unproductiveness  of  agriculture,  which 
spread  the  miseries  of  want  and  destitution  among  the 
inhabitants  of  both  governments,  the  occurrence  of  a 
maritime  war  between  the  United  States  and  England 
entirely  cut  off  the  supplies  which  had  been  drawn 
from  those  two  countries,  and  the  evil  condition  of  the 
Island  was  complete.  In  this  sad  state  of  their  affairs, 
both  Christophe  and  Petion  ceased  from  all  military 
operations  against  each  other,  without  previous  arrange 
ment  or  military  truce ;  and  they  directed  all  their 
efforts  to  heal  the  wounds  which  had  been  inflicted  by 
hostile  depredation  or  the  neglect  of  peaceful  employ 
ments  within  their  respective  territories. 

The  tax  laid  by  Christophe  upon  his  subjects  ex 
ceeded  in  despotism  anything  of  the  kind  ever  before 
known  in  the  Island ;  and  even  surpassed  the  outrageous 
demands  of  Dessalines.  . 

Petion  dared  nut  to  tax  his  subjects  to  supply  tho 
wants  of  his  administration;  and  for  this  purpose  he 
was  driven  to  embarrass  commerce  by  the  imposi 
tion  of  enormous  duties  upon  the  trade  carried  on 


PEACE    IN   HAYTI,   AXD   DEATH    OF   PETION.         21  f 

in  his  ports.  But  Christophe  had  assumed  a  station 
which  forebade  him  to  fear  his  subjects,  and  he  fur 
nished  yearly  millions  to  his  treasury  by  a  territorial 
tax,  which  poured  one-fourth  of  all  the  productions  of 
the  kingdom  into  the  royal  coffers.  Possessed  of 
this  revenue,  which  placed  his  finances  beyond  the 
contingencies  of  chance,  the  commercial  regulations 

O  '  O 

of  Christophe  were  the  very  opposites  of  those  en 
forced  within  the  republic;  and  the  traffic  in  the  ports 
of  the  kingdom  was  annually  augmented  by  a  compe 
tition  sustained  at  advantages  so  immense. 

The  army  of  the  monarchy  was  in  all  things  better 
furnished  and  more  respectable  than  that  of  the  repub 
lic.  The  troops  were  well  clothed  and  well  armed. 
They  were  kept  under  a  discipline  so  strict  that  it 
knew  no  mercy  and  permitted  no  relaxation.  The 
smallest  delinquency  was  visited  upon  the  offender 
with  unsparing  flagellation  or  with  military  execu 
tion.  The  troops  received  a  merely  nominal  stipend 
for  their  services,  and  each  soldier  was  required  to 
gain  his  subsistence  by  the  cultivation  of  a  few 
acres  of  ground,  which  were  allotted  him  out  of  the 
national  domain ;  and  of  this  scanty  resource  a  fourth 
was  required  to  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the 
king's  officers,  as  a  part  of  the  royal  revenues. 

Although  Christophe  had  determined  to  maintain  his 
power  by  the  bayonets  of  the  soldiery,  he  condescended 
to  no  measures  of  unusual  moderation  in  his  conduct 
toward  these  supporters  of  his  authority.  The  soldiers 
of  the  army,  as  well  as  the  laborers  of  the  plantations, 
lived  in  perpetual  dread  of  the  rod  of  authority  which 
was  ever  brandished  over  their  heads;  and  of  the 


'212  THE 'RISING  SOX. 

merciless  inflictions  of  authority  the  former  obtained  a 
more  than  ordinary  share. 

Upon  common  occasions,  Christophe  assumed'  little 
state,  showing  himself  among  his  subjects  but  as  a 
private  individual  of  superior  rank.  Like  his  model, 
George  III.,  it  was  his  habit  to  walk  the  streets  of  the 
capital  dressed  in  plain  citizen's  costume,  and  with  no 
decorations  to  designate  his  rank  but  a  golden  star 
upon  his  breast.  In  this  unostentatious  manner  he  was 
often  seen  upon  the  quay,  watching  the  operations  at 
the  custom-house;  or  in  the  town,  superintending  the 
laborers  engaged  in  the  erection  of  public  edifices.  His 
never-failing  companion  upon  these  occasions  was  a 
huge  cane,  which  he  exercised  without  mercy  upon 
those  who  were  idle  in  his  presence,  or  whose  petty 
offences  of  any  kind  called  for  extemporary  flagella 
tion. 

Christophe  was  without  education,  but  like  his  pred 
ecessor,  Dessalines,  he  found  a  royal  road  to  learning. 
His  knowledge  of  books  was  extensive,  as  several 
educated  mulattoes  retained  about  his  person  under  the 
name  of  secretaries  were  employed  several  hours  of  each, 
day  in  reading  to  the  monarch.  He  was  particularly 
delighted  with  history,  of  which  his  knowledge  was 
extensive  and  accurate;  and  Frederick  the  Great  of 
Prussia  was  a  personage  with  whom  above  all  others 
he  was  captivated,  the  name  of  Sans  Souci,  his  palace, 
having  been  borrowed  from  Potsdam. 

Such  sharpness  had  been  communicated  to  his  genius, 
naturally  astute,  by  having  knowledge  thus  dispensed 
to  him  in  daily  portions,  that  Christophe  became  at 
last  a  shrewd  critic  upon  the  works  read  before  him, 
and  even  grew  fastidious  in  the  selection  of  his 


PEACE   IN   HAYTI,   AND   DEATH   OF    PETION.        213 

authors.  The  events  of  that  stormy  period  of  Euro 
pean  history,  as  detailed  in  the  public  journals  of  the 
time,  were  listened  to  with  a  greedy  ear,  and  the 
course  of  Napoleon's  policy  was  watched  with  a  keen 
ness  which  manifested  Christophers  own  interest  in  the 
affair. 

Christophe,  though  a  pure  African,  was  not  a  jet 
hlack,  his  complexion  being  rather  a  dusky  brown. 
His  person  was  commanding,  slightly  corpulent,  and 
handsome.  His  address  was  cold,  polished,  and  grace 
ful.  He  possessed  a  certain  air  of  native  dignity 
which  corresponded  well  with  his  high  official  station, 
and  he  exacted  great  personal  deference  from  all 
who  approached  him.  The  personal  qualities  and  ma 
jestic  bearing  of  the  black  king  impressed  his  own 
characteristics  upon  his  court.  The  most  formal  cere 
mony  was  observed  upon  public  occasions,  and  no 
grandee  of  the  realm  could  safely  appear  at  the  court  of 
his  sovereign  without  the  costume  and  decorations  of 
his  rank.  The  ceremonial  and  observances  were  mod 
elled  after  the  drawing-rooms  at  St.  James  palace,  and 
Christophe  was  always  pleased  with  the  attendance  of 
whites,  particularly  if  they  were  titled  Englishmen. 
Many  distinguished  foreigners  visited  the  court  of  the 
black  monarch,  attracted  thither  by  a  curiosity  to  wit 
ness  the  spectacle  of  an  African  levee,  a  scene  which, 
by  established  regulation,  was  held  at  the  palace  on  the 
Thursday  of  every  week. 

The  company  was  collected  in  an  ante-chamber  which 
adjoined  the  principal  hall  of  the  palace,  where  the 
novices  in  courtly  life  were  suitably  drilled  and  in 
structed  in  the  minute  details  of  the  parts  they  were 
expected  to  play  in  the  coming  pageantry,  by  two  or 


214  THE  RISING    SON. 

three  assistants  of  the  grand  master  of  ceremonies, 
the  Baron  de  Sicard.  When  all  things  were  in  readi 
ness,  both  within  and  without,  the  doors  were  thrown 
open,  and  the  monarch  of  Hayti  appeared  seated  upon 
the  throne  in  royal  costume,  with  the  crown  upon  bis 
head,  and  surrounded  by  a  glittering  cortege  composed 
of  his  ministers,  grand  almoner,  grand  marshal  of  the 
palace,  chamberlains,  and  heralds  at  arms. 

Political  offences  were  never  left  unpunished  by 
Christophe,  and  towards  delinquents  of  this  kind  he 
never  manifested  his  vengeance  by  open  violence  or, a 
display  of  personal  indignation.  Those  who  had  ex 
cited  his  mistrust  were  upon  some  occasions  even  fa 
vored  with  a  personal  visit  from  the  monarch,  who  stu 
diously  concealed  his  vengeful  purposes  under  a  show  of 
kindness,  and  the  utmost  graciousuess  of  manner.  But 
the  arrival  of  his  vengeance  was  not  retarded  by  this 
display  of  civility.  The  agents  of  Christophe  gener 
ally  made  their  appearance  by  night,  and  the  sus 
pected  offender  was  secretly  hurried  off  to  the  fate 
which  awaited  him.  But  though  Christophe 's  anger 
for  offences  not  of  a  political  character  was  violent,  it 
was  seldom  bloody. 

Amidst  a  torrent  of  philippics  against  such  persons, 
his  customary  expression,  "O!  diablc,"  was  a  signal 
to  those  in  attendance  to  fall  upon  the  offender  and 
Bcourge  him  with  canes;  and  when  the  punishment 
had  been  made  sufficient,  the  justice  of  the  monarch 
was  satisfied,  and  the  culprit  was  restored  again  to 
his  favor.  Sometimes,  however,  his  indignation  in 
these  cases  was  aroused  to  the  ferocity  of  a  savage 
not  to  be  appeased  but  by  the  blood  of  his  victim. 

We  must  now   turn  to  the  affairs  of   the  republic. 


PEACE  IN  HAYTI,  AND  DEATH  OF  PETIOX.    215 

Petion  had  long  been  despondent  for  the  permanence 
of  the  republic,  and  this  feeling  had  by  degrees  grown 
into  a  settled  despair,  when  he  discovered  that  his 
long  administration  had  not  succeeded  in  giving  order 
and  civilization  to  the  idle  and  barbarous  hordes  com 
posing  the  dangerous  population  of  his  government. 
While  the  more  despotic  sway  of  Christophe  main 
tained  the  prosperity  of  his  kingdom,  Petiou  found 
that  the  people  of  the  republic  was  becoming  every 
day  a  more  ungovernable  rabble,  indolent,  dissolute, 
and  wretched.  While  the  coffers  of  Christopho  were 
overflowing  with  millions  of  treasures  wrung  by  the 
hard  exactions  of  his  tyranny  from  the  blacks  who 
toiled  upon  the  soil,  the  finances  of  the  republic  were 
already  in  irretrievable  confusion,  as  the  productions 
of  that  territory  were  hardly  sufficient  for  the  suste 
nance  of  its  population. 

Amidst  these  perplexities  and  embarrassments,  Pe"- 
tion.fell  sick  in  the  month  of  March,  1818,  and  after 
a  malady  which  continued  but  eight  days,  he  perished 
of  a  mind  diseased,  declaring  to  his  attendants  that 
he  was  weary  of  life. 

** 

.  The  announcement  that  Petion  was  no  more  threw 
all  the  foreign  merchants  of  the  republic  into  conster 
nation.  They  expected  that  an  event  like  this  would 
be  the  harbinger  of  another  revolution  to  overturn  all 
that  had  been  achieved,  or  of  a  long  and  destructive 
anarchy,  which  would  completely  annihilate  the  little 
authority  there  yet  remained  in  the  republic.  Merchan 
dise  to  the  amount  of  millions  had  been  sold  to  the 
credit  of  the  country,  in  the  doubtful  hope  that  its 
government  would  be  durable.  Both  treasures  and 
blood  were  at  stake,  but  the  terror  of  the  moment  was 


216  THE  RISING   SON. 

soon  appeased.  At  the  tidings  of  Petion's  illness,  the 
Senate  had  assembled  itself  in*  session,  and  this  body 
conferred  power  upon  the  expiring  president  to  nomi 
nate  his  successor;  and  Petion,  when  he  foresaw  that 
his  death  was  inevitable,  designated  for  this  purpose 
General  Boyer,  then  commanding  the  arrondissement 
of  Port  au  Prince. 

The  funeral  ceremonies  of  the  deceased  president  took 
place  upon  the  first  of  April,  and  were  performed  with 
the  most  august  solemnity.  All  the  great  officers  of  the 
army  were  ordered  to  their  posts,  and  required  to  main 
tain  a  ceaseless  viligance'  for  the  perservation  of  tran 
quillity.  An  embargo  was  laid  until  the  Sunday 
following  upon  all  vessels  in  the  harbor  of  Port  au 
Prince,  and  several  detachments  of  troops  were  ordered 
to  march  towards  different  points  of  the  frontier.  The 
observance  of  every  precaution  which  the  most  anxious 
solicitude  could  suggest  for  the  maintenance  of  internal 
peace,  and  the  prevention  of  invasion  from  abroad,  was 
evidence  that  Petion  had  bequeathed  his  power  to  a 
successor  worthy  of  his  choice. 

There  was  a  wide  difference  between  Petion  and 
Christophe;  the  former  was  a  republican  at  heart,  the 
latter,  a-tyrant  by  nature.  Assuming  no  pretensions  to 
personal  or  official  dignity,  and  totally  rejecting  all  the 
ceremonial  of  a  court,  it  was  Petion's  ambition  to  main 
tain  the  exterior  of  a  plain  republican  magistrate. 
Clad  in  the  white  linen  undress  of  the  country,  and 
with  a  Madras  handkerchief  tied  about  his  head,  he 
mixed  freely  and  promiscuously  with  his  fellow- 
citizens,  or  seated  himself  in  the  piazza  of  the  govern 
ment  house,  accessible  to  all. 

Petion  was  subtle,   cautious,   and   designing.      He 


PEACE  IN  HAYTI,  AND  DEATH  OF  PETION.    217 

aspired  to  be  the  Washington,  as  Christophe  was 
deemed  the  Bonaparte,  of  Hayti.  By  insinuating  the 
doctrines  of  equality  and  republicanism,  Petion  suc 
ceeded  in  governing,  with  but  ten  thousand  rnulat- 
toes,  a  population  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand 
blacks. 

The  administration  of  Petion  was  mild,  and  he  did 
all  that  he  could  for  the  elevation  of  the  people  whom 
he  ruled.  He  was  the  patron  of  education  and  the  arts ; 
and  scientific  men,  for  years  after  his  death,  spoke  his 
name  with  reverence.  He  was  highly  respected  by 
the  representatives  of  foreign  powers,  and  strangers 
visiting  his  republic  always  mentioned  his  name  in 
connection  with  the  best  cultivated  and  the  most  gen 
tlemanly  of  the  people  of  Hayti.  The  people  of  the 
republic,  without  distinction  of  color  or  sect,  regarded 
Petion 's  death  as  a  great  national  calamity;  and  this 
feeling  extended  even  into  Christophe's  dominion, 
where  the  republican  president  had  many  warm  friends 
amongst  the  blacks  as  well  as  the  mulattoes.  Petion 
was  only  forty-eight  years  of  age  at  his  death.  He 
was  a  man  of  medium  size,  handsome,  as  were  nearly 
all  of  the  men  of  mixed  blood,  who  took  part  in  the 
Hayti  an  war.  His  manners  were  of  the  Parisian 
school,  and  his  early  military  training  gave  him  a  car 
riage  of  person  that  added  dignity  to  his  general  ap 
pearance. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

BOYER  THE  SUCCESSOR  OF  PETION  IN  HAYTI. 

BOYER,  the  new  president,  was  peaceably  acknowl 
edged  by  the  people  of  the  republic  as  their  lawful 
chief,  and  no  other  general  of  the  army  manifested 
any  disposition  to  establish  an  adverse  claim  to  the 
vacant  dignity. 

Boycr,  finding  himself  tranquilly  seated  in  power, 
and  placed  beyond  any  danger  from  the  hostile  enter 
prises  of  the  rival  dynasty,  devoted  himself  to  the 
encouragement  of  agriculture  and  commerce  within 
his  territory.  He  made  a  tour  of  inspection  through 
all  the  different  districts,  and  in  each  of  them  the  due 
observance  of  the  laws  was  enjoined,  and  the  citizens 
were  urged  to  abandon  their  idle  habits,  and  for  the 
good  of  the  State,  if  not  for  the  promotion  of  their  indi 
vidual  interests,  to  employ  themselves  in  the  develop 
ment  of  the  great  resources  of  the  country. 

Within  a  few  months  after  his  elevation  to  power,  the 
new  president  formed  the  resolution  to  disperse  the 
hordes  of  banditti  that  infested  Grande  Anse,  and  kept 
the  whole  South  in  perpetual  alarm.  Conscious  of  the 

(218) 


BOYER   THE  SUCCESSOR   OF  PETIOX  IN  IIAYTI.     219 

importance  there  existed  of  depriving  his  great  compet 
itor  of  a  lodgment  within  the  very  heart  of  the  repub 
lic,  such  as  to  expose  its  very  capital  to  the  danger  of 
an  attack  both  in  front  and  rear,  Boyer  determined  to 
fit  out  a  sufficient  force  to  sweep  the  mountains  of 
Laliotte,  and  if  possible,  to  capture  Gomar  within  the 
very  fastnesses  which  had  been  for  so  many  years  his 
natural  citadel. 

Christophe,  on  the  other  hand,  determined,  if  possi 
ble,  to  preserve  this  important  point  from  which 
he  could  so  easily  gain  an  entrance  to  the  territory 
of  the  republic,  made  a  diversion  in  favor  of  the 
Maroons  in  this  movement  against  them,  by  assuming 
a  hostile  attitude  upon  the  northern  frontier  of  the  re 
public.  A  formidable  detachment  of  the  royal  army 
was  already  entering  the  neutral  territory  of  Boucausin, 
and  threatening  another  attack  upon  Port  au  Prince, 
when  Boyer  found  it  necessary  to  defer  his  intended 
expedition  against  Gomar,  and  recall  all  his  forces  to 
repel  the  danger  which  was  threatening  in  an  opposite 
quarter.  This  was  the  single  result  which  Christophe 
designed  to  accomplish  by  his  movement  on  Port  au 
Prince;  and  when  this  had  been  effected,  his  army  re 
turned  to  its  quarters  in  the  North. 

But  Boyer  was  not  to  be  turned  aside  from  his  res 
olution  of  rescuing  the  best  districts  of  his  territory 
from  continual  spoliation,  and  when  the  panic  had 
subsided  which  had  been  inspired  by  the  threatened 
invasion  of  Christophe,  he  put  his  troops  in  motion  in 
the  autumn  of  1819,  for  a  campaign  against  the  Ma 
roons  of  Grande  Anse.  The  troops  of  the  republic 
met,  and  defeated  the  brigands. 


220  TILE    RISING    SON. 

Having  accomplished  the  objects  of  his  visit,  and 
left  peace  and  tranquillity  where  those  conditions  hr  ' 
so  long  been  unknown,  Boyer  commenced  his  return 
to  his  capital,  gratified  that  his  attainment  of  power 
had  been  effected  so  peaceably,  and  that  the  hopes  of  his 
administration  were  already  based  more  solidly  than 
ever  upon  the  wishes  of  the  people. 

Boyer  had  now  attained  complete  success  in  his  de 
sign  to  shut  the  boundaries  of  his  states  against  the 

* —  O 

machinations  of  Christophe;  and  until  a  more  favorable 
moment  he  contented  himself  to  maintain  a  policy 
strictly  defensive  against  an  opponent  so  warlike. 
The  latter,  on  his  side,  enraged  at  the  defeat  and  over 
throw  of  his  allies  of  Grande  Anse,  began  to  threaten 
another  invasion  of  Boyer 'a  territory,  and  many  months 
glided  away  in  the  daily  expectation  of  the  commence 
ment  of  hostilities  between  the  two  governments.  In 
this  interval  the  growing  tyranny  of  Christophe  forced  a 
flood  of  emigration  from  his  realms  into  the  territories 
of  the  republic,  and  the  very  household  troops  of  the 
monarch  began  to  desert  in  large  numbers  from  the  ser 
vice  of  a  sovereign  whose  cruelty  decimated  their  ranks 
at  the  instigation  of  his  caprice.  Bold,  crafty,  and  sus 
picious,  Christophe  with  one  breath  congratulated  his 
subjects  upon  the  glorious  possession  which  they  held 
of  personal  liberty  and  national  independence,  and  with 
another  he  doomed  them  to  scourgings,  imprisonment, 
and  death. 

So  unlimited  and  habitual  was  his  severity,  that  it 
was  said  of  him  that  he  would  put  a  man  to  death  with 
as  little  hesitation  as  a  sportsman  would  bring  down  an 
article  of  game.  His  dungeons  were  filled  with  them- 


BOYER  THE  SUCCESSOR  OF  PETION  IX  HAYTI.      221 

sands  of  victims  of  all  colors,  and  new  detachments  of 
prisoners  were  daily  arriving  to  swell  the  number. 
The  innocent  were  confounded  with  the  guilty;  for  un 
der  the  promptings  of  his  hatred  or  jealousy,  the 
despot  would  not  stop  to  make  nice  discriminations. 


CIIAPTEH   XXI. 

INSURRECTION,  AND  DEATH  OF  CHRISTOPHE. 
i 

CIIRISTOPHE,  who  now  might  be  denominated  the 
Caligula  of  the  blacks,  was  every  day  adding  to  the  dis 
content  and  terror  of  his  subjects.  His  soldiers  were 
treated  with  extreme  severity  for  every  real  or  fancied 
fault,  and  they  sought  for  nothing  so  earnestly  as  for  an 
occasion  to  abandon  his  service,  and  gain  an  asylum 
within  the  territories  of  his  rival;  or  to  attempt,  what 
they  scarcely  dared  to  meditate,  the  dethronement  of  a 
tyrant  who  caused  them  to  pass  their  lives  in  wretched 
ness.  Christophe  possessed  a  knowledge  of  this  disaf 
fection  entertained  towards  him,  and  instead  of  seeking 
to  assure  and  perpetuate  the  allegiance  of  his  army,  to 
the  bayonets  of  which  he  was  indebted  for  his  power, 
his  vengeance  became  every  day  more  watchful  and 
more  terrible,  until  his  conduct  exceeded  in  cruelty 
even  that  which  had  already  spread  hatred  and  misery 
throughout  the  nation.  Christophe  determined  to  rule 
through  the  inspirement  of  fear  alone,  and  he  practised 
no  arts  of  conciliation  to  preserve  to  his  interests  those 
even  who  were  necessary  to  the  maintenance  of  his 
power. 

(222) 


INSUHEECTION,  AKD   DEATH  OF   CHEISTOril  *, .       223 

His  despotism  was  thus  carried  beyond  the  limits  of 
endurance.  So  far  from  seeking  to  attach  his  great  offi 
cers  to  his  own  person,  by  lavishing  upon  them  the  fa 
vors  of  his  government,  his  suspicions  had  become 
alarmed  at  the  growing  wealth  of  his  nobles,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  immense  incomes  drawn  by  them  from  the 
estates  placed  under  their  control,  within  the  districts 
of  which  they  were  the  titulary  lords.  To  prevent  this 
inordinate  increase  of  wealth  among  a  class  of  persons 
who,  it  was  thought,  might  one  day  employ  it  against 
the  throne  and  dignity  of  the  sovereign,  an  institution 
was  formed,  called  the  Royal  Chamber  of  Accounts, 
which,  by  a  sort  of  star-chamber  process,  appraised  the 
estates  of  the  nobility,  and  disburdened  them  of  so 
much  of  their  wealth  as  the  king  deemed  a  matter  of 
superfluity  to  them.  Several  of  the  black  nobles  had 
already  been  subjected  to  the  jurisdiction  of  this 
royal  court;  and,  actuated  by  secret  indignation  for 
this  arbitrary  spoliation  of  their  property,  they  sought 
only  for  an  opportunity  to  drive  Christophe  from  his 
power,  in  the  hope  to  share  the  same  authority  among 
themselves. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1820,  Christophe,  while 
attending  mass,  was  attacked  with  paralysis,  and  was 
immediately  carried  to  his  palace  at  Sans  Souci,  where 
he  remained  an  invalid  for  many 'months,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  his  subjects. 

.This  event,  so  favorable  to  the  treacherous  designs 
of  the  discontented  chiefs  of  his  government,  fur 
nished  a^n  occasion  for  the  formation  of  a  dangerous 
conspiracy,  at  the  head  of  which  were  Paul  Komaiue, 
Prince  of  Liinbc,  and  General  Richard,  the  governor 
of  the  royal  capital.  The  conspirators  designed  to 


224  THE  RISING  SON. 

put  Christopke  to  death,  and  after  the  performance  of  a 
deed  so  acceptable  to  the  nation,  to  form  a  northern 
republic,  similar  in  its  structure  to  that  which  existed 
iu  the  South,  at  the  head  of  which  was  to  be 
placed  General  Romaine,  with  the  title  of  president. 

But  before  this  scheme  could  be  carried  out,  a  divi 
sion  of  the  royal  army,  stationed  at  St.  Marks,  and 
consisting  of  a  force  of  six  thousand  men,  exasperated 
at  the  cruelties  practiced  upon  them,  seized  upon  this 
occasion  to  revolt.  The  commanding  general  was  be 
headed,  and  a  deputation  of  the  mutineers  was  dis 
patched  to  carry  the  head  of  the  murdered  officer  to 
the  president  of  the  republic  at  Port  au  Prince. 

The  intelligence  of  this  revolt  was  carried  quickly 
to  Christophe's  capital,  and  it  produced  an  explosion  of 
popular  feeling  that  betokened  the  speedy  downfall  of 
the  black  monarchy.  The  troops  of  the  capital  imme 
diately  put  themselves  under  arms,  and  assumed  a 
threatening  attitude.  On  the  evening  of  thd  Gth  of 

C1  i_ 

October,  the  inhabitants  of  the  capital  were  startled  at 
the  noise  of  drums  beating  to  arms. 

The  streets  were  soon  filled  with  soldiers,  obeying 
or  resisting  the  authority  of  their  officers,  as  the  latter 
happened  to  favor  or  hate  the  power  of  the  king.  The 
governor  of  the  capital,  who  did  not  wish  for  such  a 
denouement  to  his  plans,  undertook  measures  to  sub 
due  the  mutinous  spirit  of  the  troops;  but  though  he 
sought  for  support  on  every  side,  he  found  no  readi 
ness,  either  on  the  part  of  the  army  or  of  the  people, 
to' assist  him  in  his  attempt.  The  tumult  increased 
every  moment,  and  spread  by  degrees  to  every  part 
of  the  town,  until  the  whole  population  became  united 
in  the  rebellion.  The  army  took  the  lead,  and  the 


INSURRECTION,  AND    DEATH  OF   CHRISTOrHE.       225 

whole  body  of  the  inhabitants  followed  the  example 
of  the  soldiers.  It  was  decided  by  acclamation  to 
march  upon  Sans  Souci,  and  seize  upon  Christophe 
within  his  own  palace,  but  this  movement  was  deferred 
until  the  following  day. 

Meantime,  Christophe  had  been  informed  of  these 
proceedings,  so  ominous  to  the  preservation  of  his 
power,  if  not  of  his  life.  He  had  not  yet  recovered 
from  his  malady,  but  his  unconquerable  energy  of  soul 
had  not  been  paralyzed  by  disease,  for  he  leaped  im 
mediately  from  his  bed,  demanding  that  his  arms 
should  be  brought  to  him,  and  that  his  horse  should 
be  ordered  to  the  door.  But  if  his  bold  spirit  did  not 
quail  before  the  calamities  which  were  impending  over 
him,  his  bodily  frame  proved  unequal  to  the  activity 
of  his  mind,  and  he  was  compelled  to  rest  satisfied 
with  sending  forward  his  guards  to  subdue  the  rebel 
lious  troops  of  the  capital,  while  he  remained  within 
his  palace  to  await  his  destiny. 

Meantime,  General  Richard,  the  governor  of  the 
capita],  had  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  insurgents, 
the  number  of  whom  amounted  to  ten  or  twelve  thou 
sand,  and  the  column  took  up  its  march  directly  for 
Sans  Souci.  On  Sunday,  the  8th  of  October,  the 
insurgents  encountered  on  their  way  the  detachment 
of  body  guards  which  the  monarch  had  dispatched 
against  them. 

The  two  forces  quickly  arranged  themselves  in  or 
der  of  battle,  and  a  brisk  fire  commenced  between 
them.  It  continued,  however,  but  a  few  minutes. 
The  cry  of  the  insurgents  was,  "Liberte,  liberte,"  and 
the  utterance  of  this  magical  word  soon  became  con 
tagious  in  the  ranks  of  the  royal  guards.  The  latter 
15 


22 (5  THE   RISING   SON. 

had  even  less  predilection  for  their  monarch  than  the 
other  corps  of  the  army,  for  their  situation  and  rank 
bringing  them  in  nearer  contact  with  the  royal  person, 
they  were  frequently  exposed  to  the  terrific  explosions 
of  the  royal -vengeance. 

•/  *j 

Thus  the  watchword  of  the  mutineers  was  answered 
with  redoubled  enthusiasm  by  the  household  troops, 
and  they  passed  over  in  a  body  to  join  the  forces  ot 
the  insurgents.  The  whole  military  power  of  the 
kingdom  was  now  united  in  a  vast  column  of  muti 
neers,  burning  for  vengeance  upon  Chiistophe,  and 
pressing  onward  to  the  palace  of  Sans  Souci. 

The  king  was  soon  informed  that  his  guards  had 
declared  against  him,  and  that  the  forces  of  the  insur 
gents  were  already  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  his 
palace.  At  this  astounding  intelligence  he  exclaimed 
in  despair,  "Then  all  is  over  with  me!"  and  seizing 
a  pistol,  shot  himself  through  the  heart. 

Thus  perished  a  man  who  had  succeeded  in  main 
taining  his  authority  over  the  blacks  for  a  longer  time 
than  any  of  the  chiefs  of  the  revolution.  This  he  ac 
complished  through  the  single  agency  of  the  extraor 
dinary  energy  of  his  character.  The  unshrinking 
boldness  and  decision  of  his  measures  made  terror  the 
safeguard  of  his  throne,  until  his  excessive  cruelty 
drove  his  subjects  to  a  point  at  which  fear  is  changed 
into  desperation.  His  policy  at  first  was  that  of  Touis- 
sant,  but  he  carried  it  to  an  access  of  rigor  which, 
made  his  government  a  despotism.  Like  his  great 
predecessor,  he  possessed  such  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  African  character,  as  enabled  him  to  succeed  com 
pletely  in  controlling  those  placed  under  his  sway, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  national  propensities,  to  make  his  ' 


INSURRECTION,    AND   DEATH   OF   CHRISTOPHE.     227 

plans  effectual  for  developing  the  resources  of  the 
country.  "While  the  territory  was  still  a  neglected 
waste,  and  its  population  poor,  the  lands  of  Christophe 
were  in  a  condition  of  high  productiveness,  and  the 
monarch  died,  leaving  millions  in  the  royal  treasury. 

But  the  salutary  restraints  imposed  upon  his  disor 
derly  subjects  at. the  commencement  of  his  reign,  had 
been  augmented  by  degrees  to  correspond  to  the 
demands  of  an  evergrowing  jealousy,  until  they  had 
become  changed  to  a  rigorous  severity  of  discipline, 
or  vengeance,  such  as  has  been  practised  in  few  coun 
tries  upon  the  globe.  The  dungeons  of  the  Citadel 
Henry  were  almost  as  fatal  to  human  life  as  the  Black 
llole  at  Calcutta,  and  it  has  been  asserted,  that  amidst 
the  pestiferous  exhalations  and  suffocative  atmosphere 
of  these  abodes  of  misery,  the  prisoners  were  almost 
sure  to  perish  after  a  short  confinement.  With  less 
truth  it  has  been  alleged,  that  fifty  thousand  persons 
lost  their  lives  in  these  living  tombs,  while  thirty  thou 
sand  others  perished  of  fatigue,  hunger,  and  hardship 
of  those  who  had  been  condemned  for  offences  of  a 
lighter  nature,  to  labors  upon  the  public  works  of  the 
kingdom,  all  of  which  were  performed  under  the  lash 
and  bayonet  of  the  soldiery.* 

These  estimates  arc  probably  beyond  the  truth, 
though  the  number  is  incredible  of  those  who  perished 
under  the  severe  exactions  of  Christophe 's  tyranny, 
by  hardship,  imprisonment,  military  execution,  or  the 
infliction  of  sudden  death,  executed  amidst  a  burst  of 
ferocious  vengeance  in  the  despot.  Christophe  failed 
of  giving  perpetuity  to  his  government  through  the 
mere  abuse  of  his  power. 

*  Malo. 


228  THE  RISING 'SON. 

The  king  was  fifty-three  years  of  age  at  his  death, 
having  reigned  nine  years.  With  a  mind  little  capa 
ble  of  continuous  thought,  Christophe  possessed  a 
strong  and  obstinate  will.  When  once  he  had  gained 
an  elevated  position,  he  manifested  great  energy  of 
character.  Anxious  to  augment  by  commerce  the  ma 
terial  strength  of  his  dominions,  and  to  develop  its 
moral  power  by  education,  he  imposed  on  the  eman 
cipated  people  a  labor  not  unlike  that  of  the  days  of 
their  servitude.  Many  hundreds  of  lives  were  sacri 
ficed  in  erecting  the  palace  of  Sans  Souci,  and  grad 
ing  its  grounds.  The  schools  put  in  operation  in  his 
time,  surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  ever  introduced 
in  that  part  of  the  Island  before  or  since. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

• 

UNION  OF  HAYTI  AND  SANTO  DOMINGO. 


THE  death  of  Christophe  was  hailed  with 
and  applause,  in  his  own  part  of  the  Island,  as  well 
as  in  the  republic;  and  on  the  15th  of  October,  1821, 
General  Paul  Romaiue  put  himself  at  the  head  of  af 
fairs,  and  proclaimed  a  republic.  A  deputation  was 
at  once  dispatched  to  President  Boyer,  with  an  offer 
to  unite  the  two  governments  under  him,  as  their 
head.  This  was  accepted,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
union  took  place. 

From  the  time  of  the  evacuation  of  the  Island  by  the 
French  under  Rochambeau,  Santo  Domingo,  the  Span 
ish  part  of  the  Island,  had  become  a  place  of  refuge 
for  the  white  colonist,  and  the  persecuted  mulattoes; 
and  during  the  administration  of  Dessalines  and  Chris 
tophe,  Santo  Domingo  was  comparatively  quiet,  ex 
cept  an  occasional  visit  from  the  partisans  of  some  of 
the  Haytian  chiefs.  Santo  Domingo  was  a  mulatto 
government,  and  it  hailed  with  joy  the  union  under 
Boyer,  and  a  scheme  was  set  on  foot  to  carry  the 
Spanish  part  of  the  Island  over  to  Boyer.  Many  of 
their  best  men  thought  it  would  be  better  for  the 


230  THE  RISING    SOX. 

whole  Island  to  be  governed  by  one  legislature,  and 
that  its  capital  should  be  at  Port  au  Prince. 

The  authorities  of  Santo  Domingo  were  clearly  of 
this  opinion,  for  when  the  new  project  was  laid  before 
them,  they  yielded  a  ready  assent,  and  a  deputation 
immediately  set  forward  in  the  month  of  December, 
1821,  to  convey  the  wishes  of  the  Spanish  blacks  to 
the  mulatto  chief  of  the  French  part  of  the  Island. 
Boyer  was  formally  solicited  to  grant  his  consent  that 
the  Spanish  part  of  the  Island  should  be  annexed  to  the 
republic.  This  was  a  demand  so  gratifying  to  Boyer's 
personal  ambition  that  any  reluctance  on  his'  part  to 
comply  with  it  was  clearly  impossible.  Thus  the 
Spanish  deputies  were  received  with  the  utmost  gra- 
ciousness,  and  dismissed  with  every  favor  that  grati 
fied  hope  could  bestow. 

But  a  year  had  elapsed  since  the  rebellion  in  the 
North  had  transferred  the  realms  of  Christophe  as  a 
precious  godsend,  to  the  peaceable  possession  of  Boyer, 
and  the  army  of  the  republic  was  now  ordered  to  put 
itself  in  readiness  for  a  victorious  and  bloodless  march 
to  Santo  Domingo.  Boyer  placed  himself  at  its  head, 
and  a  rapid  advance  was  made  into  the  heart  of  the 
Spanish  territory.  Not  the  least  resistance  was  en 
countered,  and  the  inhabitants  of  each  of  the  towns 
in  succession  hastened  emulously  to  testify  their  adher 
ence  tot  the  cause  of  the  republic,  until  the  invading 
column  marched  at  last  in  a  sort  of  triumph  into  the 
city  of  Santo  Domingo. 

The  principal  authorities,  and  the  people  generally, 
made  a  formal  transfer  of  their  allegiance  to  their 
new  rulers,  and  were  permitted  to  remain  in  the  en 
joyment  of  their  former  privileges.  The  chief  com- 


UNION   OF   IIAYTI   AND    SANTO   DOMINGO.  231 

mand  of  the  lately  acquired  territory  was  placed  by 
Boyer  in  the  hands  of  General  Borgella,  and  the  pres 
ident  returned  to  Port  au  Prince,  gratified  by  the  ex 
traordinary  success  with  which  fortune  had  crowned 
his  administration;  which  he  commenced  by  governing 
a  distant  province  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  Is 
land,  and  by  a  succession  of  unlooked-for  incidents, 
he  had  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  whole  country, 
without  a  competitor  to  annoy  him,  or  any  malcon 
tents  to  disturb  the  internal  repose  of  his  government. 
The  death  of  Christophe,  and  the  elevation  of  Boyer 
to  the  government  of  all  St.  Domingo,  were  events 
which  had  in  the  meantime  created  a  strong  sensation 
in  the  ranks  of  the  old  colonists  residing  in  France, 
as  well  as  at  the  office  of  the  minister  for  the  colo 
nies.  Boyer 's  attachment  to  France  was  presumed 
to  be  stronger  than  that  of  his  predecessor,  Petion, 
and  under  such  circumstances,  new  hope  was  derived 
from  the  event  of  his  exaltation  to  power.  It  was 
now  thought  that  an  occurrence  so  propitious  to  the 
claims  of  France  upon  her  ancient  colony  would  lead 
to  a  satisfactory  adjustment  of  the  difficulty  which 
had  been  interposed  against  the  success  of  former  ne 
gotiation.  The  French  cabinet  immediately  formed 
the  resolution  to  sound  the  new  chief  of  Hayti  as  to 
his  sentiments  in  regard  to  an  arrangement  between 
the  two  governments.  The  difficulties  in  the\way  of 
an  easy  conquest  of  the  country,  and  the  tone  of  firm 
ness  which  had  been  held  both  by  Christophe  aaid 
Petion  to  all  former  demands  made  upon  them  by  the 
agents  of  France,  had  by  degrees  depressed  the  hopes 
of  the  colonists,  and  diminished  the  expectations  of 
the  French  government  in  relation  to  the  claims  upon 


232  THE    RISING    SON. 

St.  Domingo.  The  restoration  of  the  Island  to  its 
former  condition  of  colonial  dependence,  and  the  es 
tablishment  of  the  ancient  planters  in  the  possession 
of  their  estates  and  negroes,  were  no  longer  regarded 
as  events  within  the  bounds  of  possibility,  and  the 
demands  of  France  upon  the  government  of  Hayti  were 
now  lowered  to  the  mere  claim  of  an  indemnity  to  the 
colonists  for  the  losses  which'  had  reduced  them  to 
beggary. 

At  length,  a  secret  agent  of  the  minister  of  marine 
held  an  audience  with  Boyer,  and  informed  him  that  the 
French  goveinment  having  in  former  years  made  re 
peated  attempts  to  accomplish  an  arrangement  between 
the  two  countries,  all  of  which  had  been  fruitless,  it  was 
desired  that  Boyer  himself  would  renew  the  negotia 
tions  in  his  turn.  In  consequence  of  this  information, 
Boyer  appointed  General  Boy6  as  his  plenipotentiary, 
who  was  furnished  with  instructions  authorizing  him  to 
commence  negotiations  with  the  appointed  agent  of 
France,  either  in  that  or  some  neutral  country,  for  the 
purpose  of  terminating  the  differences  existing  between 
their  respective  governments.  M.  Esmangart  and  the 
Hiiytian  envoy  agreed  to  hold  their  conferences  at  Brus 
sels,  but  the  hopes  of  the  two  contracting  nations  were 
in  this  instance  also  destined  to  bo  frustrated.  The  par 
ties  could  not  agree  as  to  the  nature  of  the  indemnity  to 
be  made. 

At  length,  in  1825,  after  the  recognition  of  the  inde 
pendence  of  Hayti  by  others,  the  French,  under  Charles 
X.,  sold  to  its  inhabitants  the  rights  which  they  had  won 
by  their  swords  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
millions  of  francs,  to  be  paid  as  an  indemnity  to  the 
colonists.  This  was  the  basis  of  a  treaty  of  peace  and 


UNION   OF   HAYTI   AND    SANTO    DOMINGO.  233 

fraternal  feeling  between  France  and  Hayti,  that  re 
sulted  in  great  good  to  the  latter.  In  1843,  a  party 
opposed  to  president  Boyer  made  its  appearance, 
•which  formed  itself  into  a  conspiracy  to  overthrow  the 
government.  Seeing  that  he  could  not  make  head 
against  it,  Boyer,  in  disgust,  took  leave  of  the  people 
in  a  dignified  manner,  and  retired  to  the  island  of  Ja 
maica,  where,  a  few  years  since,  he  died. 

Jean  Pierre  Boyer  was  born  at  Port  au  Prince,  on 
the  second  of  February,  1776,  received  a  European 
education  at  Paris,  fought  under  Eigaud  and  Touissant 
L'Ouvcrture;  and  in  consequence  of  the  success  which 
the  black  leader  obtained,  quitted  the  Island.  Boyer 
returned  to  Hayti  in  Lo  Clerc's  expedition;  he,  how 
ever,  separated  from  the  French  gcneral-in-chief,  and 
joined  in  the  foremost  in  the  great  battle  for  the  free 
dom  of  his  race.  Ho  was  a  brave  man,  a  good  sol 
dier,  and  proved  himself  a  statesman  of  no  ordinary 
ability.  When  he  came  into  power,  the  mountains 
were  filled  with  Maroons,  headed  by  their  celebrated 
chief,  Gomiir;  Rigaud  and  Petion  had  tried  in  vain  to 
rid  the  country  of  these  brigands. 

Boyer,  however,  soon  broke  up  their  strongholds, 
dispersed  them,  and  finally  destroyed  or  brought  them 
all  under  subjection.  By  his  good  judgment,  manage 
ment,  and  humanity,  he  succeeded  in  uniting  the 
whole  island  under  one  government,  and  gained  the 
possession  of  what  Christophe  had  exhausted  himself 
with  efforts  to  obtain,  and  what  Petion  had  sighed 
for,  without  daring  to  cherish  a  single  hope  that  its 
attainment  could  be  accomplished.  Few  men  who 
took  part  in  the  St.  Domingo  drama,  did  more  good, 
or  lived  a  more  blameless  life,  than  Boyer. 


CHAPTER  XXHI. 

SOULOUQUE  AS  EMPEROR  OF  HAYTI. 

GENERAL  RICHE,  a  griffe,  or  dark  mulatto,  was  se 
lected  to  fill  the  place  left  vacant  by  the  flight  of 
Boyer;  and  his  ability,  together  with  the  universal  con 
fidence  reposed  in  him  by  all  classes,  seemed  to  shadow 
forth  a  prosperous  era  for  the  republic.  He  had,  how 
ever,  done  little  more  than  enter  upon  his  arduous  du 
ties,  when  he  was  carried  off  by  a  sudden  malady,  uni 
versally  regretted  by  the  entire  population. 

The  Senate,  whose  duty  it  was  to  elect  the  president, 
gave  a  majority  of  their  votes  for  Faustin  Soulouque, 
on  the  first  of  March,  1847,  and  he  was  inaugurated 
into  the  position  the  same  day. 

Soulouque  was  a  tall,  good-natured,  full-blooded 
negro,  who,  from  the  year  1804,  when  he  was  house- 
servant  for  General  Lamarre,  had  passed  through  all 
the  events  of  his  country  without  leaving  any  trace  of 
himself,  whether  good  or  bad.  With  no  education,  no 
ability,  save  that  he  was  a  great  eater,  he  was  the  last 
man  in  the  republic  that  would  have  been  thought  of 
for  any  office,  except  the  one  he  filled. 

True,  in  1810,  while  his  master,  General  Lamarre, 

(234) 


SOULOUQUB    AS    EMPEROR.  235 

was  defending  the  Mole  against  Cbristopke,  the  former 
was  killed,  and  Soulouque  was  charged  to  carry  the 
general's  heart  to  Petion,  who  made  the  servant  a  lieu 
tenant  in  his  mounted  guard ;  and  on  Petion's  death, 
he  bequeathed  him  to  Boyer,  as  a  piece  of  furniture 
belonging  to  the  presidential  palace.  Boyer  made 
Soulouque  first  servant,  under  the  title  of  "captain," 
to  his  housekeeper.  Here  he  grew  fat,  and  was  for 
gotten  till  1843,  when  the  revolution  brought  him  into 
note.  After  serving  a  short  time  as  president,  his 
vanity  induced  Soulouque  to  aspire  to  be  emperor, 
and  that  title  was  conferred  upon  him  in  the  year 
1849.  In  this  silly  step  he  took  for  his  model  Napo 
leon  Bonaparte,  according  to  whose  court  and  camp 
Soulouque  formed  his  own. 

But  the  people  of  Hayti  soon  saw  the  sad  mistake 
in  the  election  of  such  a  man  to  power,  and  his  change 
of  base  aroused  a  secret  feeling  against  the  empire, 
which  resulted  in  its  overthrow,  in  1859. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

GEFFRARD    AS   PRESIDENT  OF  HAYTI. 

FABRE  GEFFRARD  was  born  at  Cayes  September  19, 
1806.  His  father  was  General  Nicholas  Geffrard,  one 
of  the  founders  of  Haytian  independence.  He  became 
a  soldier  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen,  and  after  serving 
in  the  ranks,  passed  rapidly  through  several  grades  of 
promotion,  until  he  obtained  a  captaincy.  In  1843, 
when  General  Herurd  took  up  arms  against  President 
Boyer,  he  choose  Geffrard  for  his  lieutenant,  who,  by 
his  skill  and  bravery,  contributed  largely  to  the  suc 
cess  of  the  revolutionary  army.  As  a  reward  for  his 
valuable  services,  he  received  from  the  new  government 
the  brevet  rank  of  general  of  brigade,  and  was  com 
mandant  of  Jacmel,  and  in  1845  he  was  named  sreii- 

o 

eral  of  division.  In  1849  he  was  appointed  by 
Soulouque  to  take  command  of  his  Haytian  army  sent 
against  the  Dominicans,  and^in  1856  it  fell  to  his  lot, 
by  the  display  of  rare  military  talents,  to  repair  in 
some  measure  the  disasters  attending  the  invasion  of 
St.  Domingo  by  the  Haytian  army,  led  by  the  empe 
ror  himself.  Shortly  after,  Soulouque,  moved  thereto,, 
doubtless,  by  jealousy  of  Geffrard's  well-earned  fame, 

t  (236) 


GEFFEAKD   AS   PRESIDENT   OF   HAYTI.  237 

disgraced  him;  but  the  emperor  paid  dearly  ior  this, 
for  in  December,  1858,  Geffrard  declared  against  him, 
and  in  January,  1859,  Soulouque  was  overthrown,  with 
his  mock  empire,  and  Gefi'rard  proclaimed  President 
of  the  Republic,  which  was  restored. 

He  at  once  set  himself  vigorously  to  work  to  rem 
edy  the  numerous  evils  which  had  grown  up  under  the 
administration  of  his*  ignorant,  narrow-minded,  and 
cruel  predecessor,  and  became  exceedingly  popular. 
He  established  numerous  schools  in  all  parts  of  the 
Republic,  and  gave  every  encouragement  to  agricultu 
ral  and  industrial  enterprise  generally.  In  1861,  he 
concluded  a  concordat  with  the  Pope,  creating  Hayti 
an  Archbishopric.  Humane  in  his  disposition,  enlight 
ened  and  liberal  in  his  views,  and  a  steady  friend  of 
progress,  his  rule,  at  one  time,  promised  to  be  a  long 
and  prosperous  one. 

Geffrard  was  in  color  a  griff e,  and  was  fifty-two 
years  of  age  when  called  to  the  presidency  of  Kayti. 
He  was  of  middle  height,  slim  in  figure,  of  a  pleasing 
countenance,  sparkling  eye,  gray  hair,  limbs  supple 
by  bodily  exercise,  a  splendid  horseman,  and  liberal 
to  the  arts,  even  to  extravagance.  Possessing  a  pol 
ished  education,  he  was  gentlemanly  in  his  conversa 
tion  and  manners.  Soon  after  assuming  the  presidency, 
he  resolved  to  encourage  immigration,  and  issued  an 
address  to  the  colored  Americans,  which  in  point  of 
sympathy  and  patriotic  feeling  for  his  race,  has  never 
been  surpassed  by  any  man  living  or  dead. 

It  may  be  set  down  as  a  truism,  that  slavery,  pro 
scription,  and  oppression  are  poor  schools  in  which  to 
train  independent,  self-respecting  freemen.  Individ 
uals  so  teamed  are  apt  to  have  all  their  aspirations, 


238  THE  RISING    SOX. 

aims,  ends,  and  objects  in  life  on  a  level  with  the  low, 
grovelling,  and  servile  plane  of  a  slavish  and  dependent 
mind ;  or  if  by  chance  that  mind  has  grown  restless 
under  its  fetters,  and  sighs  for  enfranchisement  and 
liberty,  it  is  apt  to  rush  to  the  other  extreme  in  its 
desires,  and  is  led  to  covet  those  positions  for  which 
it  has  no  proper  qualifications  whatever.  The  bent 
of  the  slavery-disciplined  mind  is  either  too  low  or  too 
high.  It  cannot  remain  in  equilibrium.  It  either 
cringes  with  all  the  dastard  servility  of  the  slave,  or 
assumes  the  lordly  airs  of  a  cruel  and  imperious 
despot. 

These  things,  therefore,  being  true  of  the  victims 
of  abject  servitude,  we  have  herein  the  key  to  the 
failure  of  the  colored  emigration  to  Hayti. 

At  the  invitation  of  President  Geffrard,  in  1861, 
some  of  the  colored  citizens  of  the  United  States  did 
accept  the  invitation  and  went  out;  but  it  would  have 
been  better  for  them  and  for  Ilayti  had  they  remained 
at  home.  The  majority  of  the  emigrants  ventured 
on  the  voyage  to  Hayti,  because  a  free  passage  was 
given  them  by  Geffrard ;  and  the  offer  of  the  Haytian 
government  to  supply  the  emigrants  with  provisions 
until  they  could  raise  a  crop,  was  a  bait  which  these 
idlers  'could  not  withstand. 

Men  who  had  been  failures  in  their  own  country, 
could  scarcely  be  expected  to  meet  with  success  by 
merely  a  trip  across  the  sea. 

What  Ilayti  needed  were  men  with  stout  hearts  and 
hard  hands,  fitted  for  an  agricultural  life,  determined 
upon  developing  the  resources  of  the  country.  Men 
of  the  above  type  are  to  be  found  in  our  land,  but 


GEFFRARD  AS  PRESIDENT  OF  HAYTI.  239 

they  can  easily  make  a  living  here,  and  have  no  cause 
to  emigrate. 

V— r 

The  liberal  offer  of  the  Haytian  president  to  Amer 
icans  and  other  blacks  to  come  to  the  Island,  and  his 
general  progressive  efforts  to  elevate  his  people,  wero 
not  appreciated  by  the  Haytians,  and  the  spirit  of 
revolution  which  had  so  long  governed  the  Island,  soon 
began  to  manifest  itself. 

The  several  rebellions  against  the  authority  of 
President  Gcffrard,  of  Ilayti,  at  length  culminated  in 
his  overthrow  and  expulsion  from  the  Island,  and  the 
elevation  of  his  old  enemy,  Salnave,  to  the  presidency. 
The  rebellion,  whic.li  was  headed  by  Salnave,  was  begun 
in  18G5.  The  rebels  seized  and  held  the  town  of  Cape 
Haytian  for  several  months,  and  were  only  finally 
driven  out  on  its  bombardment  by  the  English  man- 
of-war,  Bull  Dog,  commanded  by  Captain  Wake.  Sal- 
nave  was  forced  to  leave  Hayti  and  take  refuge  in  St. 
Domingo.  Captain  Wake  was  called  by  the  British 
government,  and  cashiered  for  his  attack  on  Cape 
Haytian.' 

In  his  exile  Salnave  continued  his  efforts  to  revolu 
tionize  the  country,  and  found  many  adherents,  but  few 
opportunities  for  an  uprising.  An  attempt  was  made 
by  his  friends  at  Port  au  Prince  on  February  1,  1867; 
but  Geffrard  had  been  forewarned,  and  this  attempt 
failed,  and  the  ringleaders  were  captured  and  shot. 
The  revolutionists  did  not  despair,  however,  and  on 
the  night  of  February  22d  a  more  successful  effort  was 
made;  Geffrard  was  driven  to  seek  safety  in  flight, 
and  abdicating  the  presidency,  went  into  exile  in 
Jamaica.  A  Provisional  Government  was  appointed, 
and  Saluave,  whom  the  people  hailed  as  the  "Gari- 


240  THE  RISING  SON. 

baldi  of  Ilayti,"  and  the  " Deliverer  of  the  People," 
was  appointed  President  on  April  26,  1867.  He  how 
ever  insisted  that  he  would  not  accept  the  presidency 
except  at  the  hands  of  the  people.  An  election  was 
therefore  ordered  and  held.  There  were  no  rival  can 
didates  in  the  field,  the  other  most  distinguished 
participants  in  the  revolution,  Generals  Nissage  and 
Chevallier,  conceding  the  presidential  chair  to  Sal  nave 
with  great  good-will.  He  was  unanimously  elected, 
and  on  Sunday,  May  12,  was  sworn  into  office. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

SALNAVE   AS   PRESIDENT   OF   HAYTI. 

PRESIDENT  SALNAVE  was  a  native  of  Cape  Haytian, 
and  was  forty-one  years  of  age  when  elevated  to 
power.  He  was  the  son  of  French  and  Negro  parents. 
He  entered  the  army  of  Ilnyti  in  early  youth,  and  was 
a  major  under  Geffrard  wThen  the  empire  was  over 
thrown.  While  holding  the  same  commission  under 
the  Republic,  Salnave  projected  the  rebellion  of  1865, 
and  seized  Cape  Haytian,  from  which  ho  was  driven, 
as  we  have  described.  He  was  said  to  be  a  man  of 
unusual  intelligence,  of  progressive  and  liberal  ideas, 
great  energy  of  character,  and  brilliant  results  were 
expected  from  his  administration. 

However,  obtaining  supreme  power  by  force,  so 
common  in  Huyti,  any  one  could  see  that  Salnaves' 
government  wouid  be  of  short  duration.  The  same 
influences  as  some  of  the  men  who  aided  him  in  driv 
ing  out  Geffrard,  soon  began  secretly  to  work  against 
the  new  president,  and  on  the  18th  of  December,  1869, 
Salnave  found  himself  shut  up  in  his  capital,  and 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  his  most  bitter  enemies. 
At  last,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1870,  the  Haytian 
16  (241) 


242  THE  RISING  SON. 

president  sought  safety  in  flight,  but  was  captured 
by  President  Cabral,  of  Dominica,  into  whose  govern 
ment  Salnave  had  taken  refuge. 

Delivered  up  to  his  own  government  by  the  Do 
minican  president,  Salnave  was  tried  for  high  treason, 
condemned  and  shot.  In  personal  appearance  the 
defeated  chief  was  a  fine  representative  of  the  race. 
He  was  brown  in  complexion,  hair  black,  soft,  and 
wavy,  education  good,  for  the  West  Indies.  Salnave 
was  high-tempered,  heedless,  and  even  cruel.  He 
was  succeeded  in  the  government  of  Hayti  by  General 
Nissage  Saget,  who  seems  to  have  the  confidence  of  the 
people,  and  whom,  it  is  hoped,  he  will  have  the  power 
to  unite. 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

.      JAMAICA. 

JAMAICA,  the  chief  of  the  British  West  India  Islands, 
was  discovered  by  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage, 
in  May,  1494,  and  was  taken  from  Spain  by  the  Eng 
lish  in  May,  1655,  during  the  reign  of  Oliver  Crom 
well.  It  thus  became  an  appendage  to  the  British 
crown,  after  it  had  been  in  the  possession  of  Spain 
for  one  hundred  and  forty-six  years.  The  number  of 
slaves  on  the  Island  at  this  time  was  about  fifteen 
hundred. 

Morgan,  a  notorious  pirate  and  buccaneer,  was 
knighted  and  made  governor  of  the  Island  in  1670. 
Lord  Vaughan  succeeded  Morgan,  and  under  his 
administration  the  African  Company  was  formed,  and 
the  slave-trade  legalized;  Africans  were  imported  in 
large  numbers,  and  the  development  of  the  natural 
resources  of  Jamaica  greatly  increased  the  wealth  of 
the  planters. 

The  number  of  slaves  annually  imported  into  the 
Island  amounted  to  sixteen  thousand,*  so  that  within 
thirty  years  the  slave  population  had  increased  from 

*  "Jamaica,  Past  and  Present."     Phillippo. 


244  THE   RISING   SOX. 

ninety-nine  thousand  to  upwards  of  two  hundred  thou 
sand,  whilst  the  total  numerical  strength  of  the  whites 
did  not  exceed  sixteen  thousand. 

From  this  time  down  to  the  year  1832,  it  presented 
a  succession  of  wars,  usurpations,  crimes,  misery,  and 
vice ;  nor  in  this  desert  of  human  wretchedness  is 
there  one  green  spot  on  which  the  mind  of  a  philan 
thropist  would  love  to  dwell;  all  is  one  revolting 
scene  of  infamy,  bloodshed,  and  unmitigated  woe;  of 
insecure  peace  and  open  disturbance;  of  the  abuse  of 
power,  and  of  the  reaction  of  misery  against  oppres 
sion.  In  1832  an  insurrection  of  the  slaves  occurred, 
by  which  the  lives  of  seven  hundred  slaves  were  sac 
rificed,  and  an  expense,  including  property  destroyed, 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  thousand  pounds  sterling. 

The  total  importation  of  slaves  from  the  conquest 
of  the  Island  by  the  English  to  1805,  amounted  to  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  and  this  added  to  forty 
thousand  brought  by  the  Spaniards,  made  an  aggregate 
of  eight  hundred  and  ninety  thousand,  exclusive  of  all 
births,  in  three  hundred  years.  The  influence  which 
the  system  of  slavery  spread  over  the  community  in 
Jamaica  and  the  rest  of  the  British  West  Indies,  was 
not  less  demoralizing  than  in  Hayti  and  the  other 
islands. 

Crimes  which  in  European  countries  would  have 
been  considered  and  treated  as  a  wanton  insult  to 
society  at  large,  did  not  exclude  the  parties  from  the 
pale  of  respectable  society,  or  generally  operate  to 
their  disadvantage  among  the  female  portion  of  the 
community. 

The  reckless  destroyers  of  female  innocence  and 
happiness  united  in  the  dance,  mingled  in  public 


JAMAICA.  245 

entertainments,  and  were  admitted  at  the  social  board, 
and  were  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the  younger 
branches  of  families.* 

The  intermediate  colors  between  the  whites  *  and 
pure  blacks,  were  denominated  as  follows:  A  Sambo 
is  the  offspring  of  a  mulatto  woman  by  a  black  man ; 
a  mulatto  is  the  child  of  a  black  woman  and  white 
man;  a  quadroon  is  the  offspring  of  a  mulatto  by  a 
white  man,  and  a  mestee  is  that  of  a  quadroon  woman 
by  a  white  man.  The  offspring  of  a  female  mestee  by 
a  white  man  being  above  the  third  in  lineal  descent 
from  the  Negro  ancestor,  was  white,  in  the  estimation  of 
the  law,  and  enjoyed  all  the  privileges  and  immunities 
of  Her  Majesty's  white  subjects;  but  all  the  rest, 
whether  inulattoes,  quadroons,  or  mestees,  were  con 
sidered  by  the  law  as  mulattoes  or  persons  of  color. 

Although  the  people  of  Jamaica  represented  to  the 
home  government  that  the  slaves  were  satisfied  and 
happy,  and  would  not  accept  their  freedom  were  it 
offered  them,  a  revolt  of  the  blacks  took  place  in 
1832.  More  than  fifty  thousand  were  engaged  in  this 
effort  to  obtain  the  long-wished-for  boon. 

The  man  with  whom  the  insurrection  originated, — 
Samuel  Sharp, — was  a  slave,  and  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  in  Montego  Bay.  He  was  born  in 
slavery,  but  he  had  never  felt  anything  of  the  bitter 
ness  of  slavery.  He  was  born  in  a  familj-  that  treated 
him  indulgently;  he  was  a  pet,  and  was  brought  up  as 
the  playmate  of  the  juvenile  members  of  the  family,  and 
had  opportunities  of  learning  to  read  and  for  mental 
cultivation,  to  which  very  few  of  his  fellow-slaves  had 
access;  and  Sharp,  above  all  this,  was  possessed  of  a 

*  Phillippo. 


246  THE   RISING   SON. 

niind  worthy  of  any  man,  and  of  oratorical  powers  of 
no  common  order. 

Sharp  determined  to  free  himself  and  his  fellow- 
slaves.  I  do  not  know  whether  he  was  himself 
deceived,  or  whether  he  knowingly  deceived  his  fellow- 
conspirators;  but  he  persuaded  a  large  number  of 
them  to  believe  that  the  British  government  had  made 
them  free,  and  that  their  owners  were  keeping  them 
in  slavery,  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  o'f  the  authorities 
in  England.  It  so  happened,  that,  just  at  th.vt  time, 
the  planters  themselves  were  pursuing  a  course  which 
favored  Sharp's  proceedings  directly.  They  were 
holding  meetings  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
Island,  protesting  against  the  interference  of  the  home 
government  with  their  property,  passing  very  inflam 
matory  resolutions,  and  threatening  that  they  would 
transfer  their  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  in  order 
that  they  might  perpetuate  their  interest  in  their  slaves. 

The  insurrection  was  suppressed,  and  about  two 
thousand  of  the  slaves  were  put  to  death.  This  effort 
of  the  bondmen  to  free  themselves,  gave  a  new  impetus 
to  the  agitation  of  the  abolition  movement,  which  had 
already  begun  under  the  auspices  of  Buxton,  Allen, 
Brougham,  and  George  Thompson,  the  successors  of 
Clarkson,  Wilberforce,  Sharp,  and  Macaulay;  and  the 
work  went  bravely  on,  Elizabeth  Heyrick,  feeling 
that  the  emancipation  of  the  slave  could  never  be 
effected  by  gradual  means,  raised  the  cry  of  "Im 
mediate  emancipation."  She  wrote:  "Immediate 
emancipation  is  the  object  to  be  aimed  at;  it  is  more 
wise  and  rational,  more  politic  and  safe,  as  well  as 
more  just  and  humane,  than  gradual  emancipation. 
The  interests,  moral  and  political,  temporal  and  eternal, 


JAMAICA.  247 

of  all  parties  concerned,  will  be  best  promoted  by 
immediate  emancipation." 

The  doctrine  of  immediate  emancipation  was  taken 
up  by  the  friends  of  the  Negro,  everywhere,  and 
Brougham,  in  Parliament,  said:  — 

"Tell  me  not  of  rights;  talk  not  of  the  property  of 
the  planter  in  his  slaves.  I  deny  the  right;  I  ac 
knowledge  not  the  property.  The  principles,  the 
feelings,  of  our  common  nature,  rise  in  rebellion 
against  it.  Be  the  appeal  made  to  the  understand 
ing  or  to  the  heart,  the  sentence  is  the  same  that  re 
jects  it.  In  vain  you  tell  me  of  laws  that  sanction 
such  a  cLiim." 

John  Phil  pot  Curran  followed,  in  one  of  the  finest 
speeches  ever  made  in  behalf  of  the  rights  of  man. 
S.ml  he, — 

"I  speak  in  the  spirit  of  the  British  Law,  which 
makes  liberty  commensurate  with,  and  inseparable 
from,  the  British  soil;  which  proclaims,  even  to  the 
stranger  and  the  sojourner,  the  moment  he  'sets  his 
foot  upon  British  earth,  that  the  ground  on  which  he 
treads  is  holy,  and  consecrated  by  the  genius  of  Uni 
versal  Emancipation.  No  matter  in  what  language  his 
doom  may  have  been  pronounced ;  no  matter  what  com 
plexion,  incompatible  with  freedom,  an  Indian  or  an 
African  sun  may  have  burnt  upon  him;  no  matter  in 
what  disastrous  battle  his  liberty  may  have  been 
cloven  down;  no  matter  with  what  solemnities  he  may 
have  been  devoted  upon  the  altar  of  slavery ;  the  first 
moment  he  touches  the  sacred  soil  of  Britain,  the  altar 
and  -the  god  sink  together  in  the  dust;  his  soul  walks 
abroad  in  her  own  majesty;  his  body  swells  beyond 
the  measure  of  his  chains,  that  burst  from  around 


248  THE    KISING    SON. 

him,  and  he  stands  redeemed,  regenerated,  and  dis 
enthralled,  by  the  irresistible  genius  of  universal 
emancipation." 

The  name  and  labors  of  Granville  Sharp  have  been 
overshadowed  by  those  of  other  men,  who  reaped  in 
the  full,  bright  sunshine  of  success  the  harvest  of  pop 
ular  admiration  for  the  results  of  a  philanthropic 
policy,  of  which  Granville  Sharp  was  the  seed-sower. 
Zachary,  Macaulay,  Clarkson,  Wilberforce,  and  Buxton 
are  regarded  as  the  leaders  of  the  great  movement  that 
emancipated  the  slaves  of  Great  Britain.  Burke  and 
Wilkes  are  remembered  as  the  enlightened  advocates 
of  the  Independence  of  America ;  and  these  great  names 
throw  a  shadow  over  the  Clerk  in  the  Ordnance,  who, 
with  high-souled  integrity,  resigned  his  place,  and  gave 
up  a  calling  that  was  his  only  profession  and  livelihood, 
rather  than  serve  a  government  that  waged  a  fratricidal 
war,  and  who,  in  defiance  of  the  opinions  of  the  So 
licitor  and  Attorney-General,  and  of  the  Lord  Chief- 
Justice,  opposed  by  all  the  lawyers,  and  forsaken  even 
by  his  own  professional  advisers,  undertook  to  search 
the  indices  of  a  law  library,  to  wade  through  an  im 
mense  mass  of  dry  and  repulsive  literature,  and  to 
make  extracts  from  all  the  most  important  Acts  of 
Parliament  as  he  went  along;  until,  at  the  very  time 
that  slaves  were  being  sold  by  auction  in  Liverpool 
and  London,  and  when  he  could  not  find  a  single 
lawyer  who  agreed  with  his  opinion,  he  boldly  ex 
claimed,  *'God  be  thanked!  there  is  nothing  in  any 
English  laAV  or  statute  that  can  justify  the  enslaving 
of  others." 

Granville  Sharp,  in  his  boyhood  a  linen-draper's  ap 
prentice,  and  afterwards  a  clerk  in  the  Ordnance  De- 


JAMAICA. 

partment  of  England,  one  day,  in  the  surgery  of  his 
brother,  saw  a  negro  named  Jonathan  Strong,  lame, 
unable  to  work,  almost  blind,  very  ill,  and  turned 
adrift  in  the  streets  of  London,  by  his  master,  a  lawyer 
in  Barbadoes.  The  assistance  of  Grauville  Sharp,  and 
of  his  brother  William,  the  surgeon,  restored  Jona 
than  Strong  to  health,  and  obtained  for  him  a  situation. 
Two  years  afterwards,  the  Barbadoes  lawyer  recognized 
his  slave,  strong,  healthy,  and  valuable,  serving  as  a 
footman  behind  a  lady's  carriage,  and  he  arrested  the 
negro,  and  put  him  .in  prison,  until  there  should  be  an 
opportunity  to  ship  him  for  the  West  Indies. 

Mr.  Sharp  appealed  to  the  Lord  Mayor,  who, 
although  he  decided  that  he  was  incompetent  to  deal 
with  the  legal  question  of  the  black's  freedom,  released 
Strong,  because  there  was  no  offence  charged  against 
him. 

And  then — it  was  in  1767 — now  more  than  a  hundred 
years  ago — (hen  began  the  protracted  movement  in 
England  in  favor  of  the  slave.  The  master  of  Jona- 

o 

than  Strong  immediately  commenced  an  action  against 
Granville  Sharp,  to  recover  possession  of  his  negro,  of 
whom  he  said  he  had  been  robbed:  and  Sharp  drew  up 
the  result  of  his  study  of  the  question,  in  a  plain, 
clear,  and  manly  statement,  which,  after  having  been 
circulated  some  time  in  manuscript,  was  printed  in 
1769,  and  was  headed,  "On  the  injustice  of  tolerating 
slavery  in  England." 

It  produced  such  an  effect  on  the  opinion  of  the 
public,  that  the  lawyer  abandoned  his  proceedings. 
Other  cases  soon  tested  the  earnest  philanthropy  of 
the  slaves'  friend.  The  wife  of  one  Styles  was  seized 
and  sent  to  Barbadoes.  Sharp  compelled  the  aggressor 


250  THE   RISING    SON. 

to  bring  the  woman  back.  In  1776,  Thomas  Lewis 
was  kidnapped  and  shipped  for  Jamaica.  Sharp  found 
him  chained  to  the  mainmast  of  a  ship  at  Spithead, 
and  by  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  brought  him  before 
Lord  Mansfield,  the  very  judge  whose  opinion  had 
been  most  strongly  expressed  in  opposition  to  that 
entertained  by  Granville  Sharp  on  the  subject  of  slav 
ery. 

Lord  Mansfield  discharged  the  negro,  because  no 
evidence  was  adduced  to  show  that  he  was  ever  nom 
inally  the  property  of  the  man  who  claimed  him;  but 
the  great  question  of  liberty  or  slavery  remained  as 
undecided  as  before.  At  this  time  the  slave-trade  was 
carried  on  openly  in  the  streets  of  London,  Bristol, 
and  Liverpool. 

Negro  slavery  was  enforced  by  merchants,  supported 
by  lawyers,  and  upheld  by  judges;  and  that  a  clerk 
in  a  public  office,  without  personal  influence,  and 
armed  only  with  integrity  and  moral  courage,  should, 
under  such  circumstances,  assert,  and,  in  the  end, 
should  prove,  that  the  slave  who  sets  his  foot  on 
British  ground  becomes  at  that  instant  free,  is  one  of 
the  most  striking  incidents  in  modern  history. 

An  opportunity  for  bringing  the  conflicting  opinions 
to  an  issue  soon  occurred.  A  negro  named  James 
Somerset  had  been  taken  to  England  and  left  there 
by  his  master,  who  afterwards  wished  to  send  him 
back  to  Jamaica.  Sharp  found  counsel  to  defend  the 
negro,  and  Lord  Mansfield  intimated  that  the  case 
was  one  of  such  general  concern,  that  he  should  take 
the  opinions  of  all  the  judges  upon  it.  The  case  was 
adjourned  and  readjourned,  and  was  carried  over  from 
term  to  term;  but  at  length  Lord  Mansfield  declared 


JAMAICA.  251 

the  court  to  be  clearly  of  opinion  that  "the  claim  of 
slavery  never  can  be  supported  in  England ;  that  the 
power  claimed  never  was  in  use  in  England  nor  ac 
knowledged  by  law;  and  that,  therefore,  the  man 
James  Somerset,  must  be  discharged."  By  this  judg 
ment,  the  slave-trade  in  England  was  effectually  abol 
ished. 

History  affords  no  nobler  picture  than  that  of  Gran- 
ville  Sharp.  Standing  alone,  opposed  to  the  opinions 
of  the  ablest  lawyers,  and  the  most  rooted  prejudices 
and  customs  of  the  times ;  fighting  unassisted  the  most 
memorable  battle  for  the  constitution  of  his  country, 
and  for  the  liberties  of  British  subjects,  and  by  his 
single  exertions  gaining  a  most  memorable  victory. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1838,  eight  hundred  thou 
sand  African  bondmen  were  made  fully  and  un 
conditionally  free;  an  act  of  legislation  the  most 
magnanimous  and  sublime  in  the  annals  of  British 
history.  Although  the  enemies  of  emancipation  had 
predicted  that  murder  and  pillage  would  follow  such 
an  act,  the  conduct  of  the  freed  people  was  everything 
that  the  most  ardent  friends  of  the  Neirro  could  wish. 

<u_^ 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  preceding  that  which 
witnessed  the  actual  bestowment  of  the  inestimable 
boon  on  the  apprentices  of  Jamaica,  the  towns  and 
missionary  stations  throughout  the  Island  were 
crowded  with  people  especially  interested  in  the 
event,  and  who,  filling  the  different  places  of  worship, 
remained  in  some  instances  performing  different  acts  of 
devotion  until  the  day  of  liberty  dawned,  when  they 
saluted  it  with  the  most  joyous  acclamations.  Others, 
before  and  after  similar  services,  dispersed  themselves 
in  different  directions  throughout  the  town  and 


252  THE  RISING   SON. 

• 

villages,  singing  the  national  anthem  and  devotional 
hymns,  occasionally  rending  the  air  with  their  accla 
mations  of  "Freedom's  come!  We're  free,  we're  free; 
our  wives  and  our  children  are  free!" 

The  conduct  of  the  newly-emancipated  peasantry 
everywhere,  would  have  done  credit  to  Christians  of 
the  most  civilized  country  in  the  world.  Their  be 
havior  was  modest,  unassuming,  civil,  and  obliging 
to  each  other  as  members  of  one  harmonious  family. 

Many  of  the  original  stock  of  slaves  had  been  im 
ported  from  amongst  the  JMandingoes,  and  Foulahs, 
from  the  banks  of  the  Senegal,  the  Gambia,  and  the 
Rio  Grande,  the  most  refined  and  intellectual  of 
the  African  tribes;  and  from  the  Congoes  of  Upper 
and  Lower  Guinea,  the  most  inferior  of  the  African 
race.  The  latter  class  brought  with  them  all  the 
vices  and  superstitions  of  their  native  land,  and  these 
had  been  cultivated  in  Jamaica. 

The  worst  of  these  superstitious  ideas  was  obeism,  a 
species  of  witchcraft  employed  to  revenge  injuries,  or 
as  a  protection  against  theft  and  murder,  and  in  favor 
for  gaining  the  love  of  the  opposite  sex.  It  consisted 
in  placing  a  spell  or  charm  near  the  cottage  of  the 
individual  intended  to  be  brought  under  its  influence, 
or  when  designed  to  prevent  the  depredations  of 
thieves,  in  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  house,  or  on 
a  tree;  it  was  signified  by  a  calabash  or  gourd,  con 
taining  among  other  ingredients,  a  combination  of 
different  colored  rags,  cats'  teeth,  parrots'  feathers, 
toads'  feet,  egg-shells,  fish-bones,  snakes'  teeth,  and 
lizards'  tails.* 

Terror  immediately  seized  upon  the  individual  who 

*  "Jamaica,  Past  and  Present."    Phillippo. 


JAMAICA.  253 

beheld  it,  and  cither  by  resigning  himself  to  despair, 
or  by  the  secret  communication  of  poison,  in  most 
cases  death  was  the  inevitable  consequence.  Similar 
to  the  influence  of  this  superstition  was  that  of  their 
solemn  curses  pronounced  upon  thieves,  but  which 
would  be  too  tedious  to  detail  here.  All  of  the  Negro 
physicians  'of  the  olden  times  professed  to  have  the 
gift  of  obeisin,  and  were  feared  far  more  than  they 
were  loved. 

Dreams  and  visions  constituted  fundamental  articles 
of  their  religious  creed.  Some  supernatural  revelations 
were  regarded  as  indispensable  to  qualify  for  admis 
sion  to  the  full  privileges  of  their  community.  Can 
didates  were  required,  indeed,  to  dream  a  certain 
number  of  dreams  before  they  were  received  to  mem 
bership,  the  subjects  of  which  were  given  them  by 
their  teachers. 

The  meetings  of  this  fraternity  were  frequently 
prolonged  through  nearly  half  the  night.  The  minis 
ters  enjoined  on  their  followers  the  duty  of  fasting  one 
or  two  days  in  the  week,  and  encouraged  a  weekly 
meeting  at  each  other's  houses,  alternately,  to  drink 
"hot  water"  out  of  white  tea-cups  (the  whole  of  the 
tea-table  paraphernalia  corresponding),  which  they 
designated  by  the  absurd  and  inappropriate  epithet  of 
"breaking  the  peace."  To  such  a  deplorable  extent 
did  they  carry  these  superstitious  practices,  and  such 
was  the  degree  of  ignorance  on  the  part  of  both  minister 
and  people,  that,  in  the  absence  of  better  information 
as  to  what  was  to  be  sung  in  their  religious  assem 
blies,  they  were  in  the  habit  of  singing  the  childish 
story  of  "The  house  that  Jack  built." 

The  missionaries,  and   especially  the  Baptists,  who 


254  THE  RISING  SON. 

had  been  laboring  against  great  disadvantages  before 
the  abolition  of  slavery,  now  that  the  curse  was  out 
of  the  way,  did  a  noble  work  for  the  freed  people. 
The  erection  of  chapels  all  through  the  Island  soon 
changed  the  moral  and  social  condition  of  the  blacks, 
as  well  as  gave  them  a  right  idear  of  Christian  duty. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

SOUTH     AMERICA. 

THE  Portuguese  introduced  slavery  into  Brazil 
about  the  year  1558,  and  the  increase  of  that  class  of 
the  population  was  as  rapid  as  in  any  part  of  the  newly 
discovered  country.  The  treatment  of  the  slaves  did 
not  differ  from  Jamaica,  St.  Domingo,  and  Cuha. 

Bazil  has  given  the  death-blow  to  the  wicked  system 
which  has  been  so  long  both  her  grievous  burden  and 
her  foul  disgrace.  Henceforth,  every  child  born  in 
the  empire  is  free,  and  in  twenty  years  the  chains  will 
fall  from  the  limbs  of  her  last  surviving  slave.  By 
this  decree,  nearly  three  million  blacks  are  raised  up 
from  the  dust;  and  though  but  few  of  this  generation 
can  hope  to  see  the  day  of  general  emancipation,  it  is 
much  for  them  to  know  that  the  curse  which  rested  on 
the  parents  will  no  longer  be  transmitted  to  the  chil 
dren  ;  it  is  something  that  the  younger  of  them  have  a 
bright  although  distant  future  to  look  toward  and  to 

*—'  * — ' 

wait  for.     \  cry  likely,  too,  the  dying  institution  will 
not  be  suffered  to   linger  out  the  whole  of   the  exist- 

o 

once  which  the  new  law  accords  to  it;  as  the  benefits 
of  free  labor  to  the  whole  country  become  appreciated 

(255) 


256  THE  RISING  SON. 

fresh   legislation   may  hasten   the   advent   of  national 
liberty  and  justice. 

The  first  colonists  enslaved  the  Indians;  and,  de 
spite  the  futile  measures  of  emancipation  adopted  by 
the  Portuguese  crown  in  1570,  in  1647,  and  in  1684, 
these  unfortunate  natives  remained  in  servitude  until 
1755,  and  would  perhaps  have  been  held  to  this  day, 
had  they  not  proved  very  unprofitable.  Negroes  were 
accordingly  imported  from  other  Portuguese  dominions, 
and  a  slave-trade  with  the  African  coast  naturally 
sprang  up,  and  is  only  just  ended.  Portugal  bound 
herself  by  treaty  with  England,  in  1815,  to  abolish 
the  trade.  Brazil  renewed  the  obligation  in  her  own 
name  in  1826.  Yet  in  1839  it  was  estimated  that  eighty 
thousand  blacks  were  imported  every  year;  and,  ten 
years  later,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  reported 
that  the  brutal  traffic  had  only  been  reduced  one- 
fourth.  The  energetic  action  of  England,  declaring 
in  1845  that  Brazilian  slave-ships  should  be  amena 
ble  to  English  authorities,  led  to  a  long  diplomatic 
contest,  and  threats  of  war;  but  it  bore  fruit  in  1850 
in  a  statute  wherein  Brazil  assimilated  the  trade  to 
piracy,  and  in  1852  the  emperor  declared  it  virtually 
extinct. 

In  the  mean  time,  an  opposition,  not  to  the  slave- 
trade  alone,  but  to  slavery,  too,  gradually  strength 
ened  itself  within  the  empire.  Manumission  became 
frequent,  and  the  laws  made  it  very  easy.  A  society 
was  organized  under  the  protection  of  the  emperor, 
which,  every  year,  in  open  church,  solemnly  liberated 
a  number  of  slaves;  and  in  1856  the  English  Embas- 
sador  wrote  home  that  the  government  had  communi 
cated  to  him  their  resolution  gradually  to  abolish 


SOUTH   AMERICA.  257 

slavery  in  every  part  of  the  empire.  The  grand  step 
which  they  have  now  taken  has  no  doubt  been  impelled 
by  the  example  of  our  own  country.  It  is  0110  of  the 
maaiy  precious  fruits  which  have  sprung,  and  are 
destined  yet  to  spring,  from  the  soil  which  we  watered 
go  freely  with  patriot  blood. 

Information  generally,  with  regard  to  Brazil,  is 
scanty,  especially  in  connection  with  the  blacks;  but 
in  all  the  walks  of  life,  men  of  color  are  found  in  that 
country. 

In  the  Brazilian  army,  many  of  the  officers  are 
mulattoes,  and  some  of  a  very  dark  hue.  The  prejudice 
of  color  is  not  so  prominent  here,  as  in  some  other 
slavcholding  countries. 

17 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

CUBA  AND  PORTO  RICO. 

CUBA,  the  stronghold  of  Spain,  in  the  western  world, 
has  labored  under  the  disadvantages  of  slavery  for 
more  than  three  hundred  years.  The  Lisbon  mer 
chants  cared  more  for  the  great  profits  made  from  the 
slave-trade,  than  for  the  development  of  the  rich 
resources  of  this,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
West  India  Islands,  and  therefore,  they  invested 
largely  in  that  nefarious  traffic.  The  increase  of 
slaves,  the  demand  for  sugar  and  the  products  of  the 
tropics,  and  the  inducement  which  a  race  for  wealth 
creates  in  the  mind  of  man,  rapidly  built  up  the  city 
of  Havana,  the  capital  of  the  Island.  The  colored 
population  of  Cuba,  like  the  "whites,  have  made  but 
little  impression  on  the  world  outside  of  their  own 
southern  home.  There  is,  however,  one  exception  in 
favor  of  the  blacks.  In  the  year  1830,  there  appeared 
in  Havana  a  young  colored  man,  whose  mother  had 
recently  been  brought  from  Africa.  His  name  was 
Placido,  and  his  blood  was  unmixed.  Being  with  a 
comparatively  kind  master,  he  found  time  to  learn  to 

(258) 


CUBA  AND   PORTO   RICO.  259 

road,  and  began  developing  the  genius  which  at  a 
later  period  showed  itself. 

The  young  slave  took  an  interest  in  poetry,  and  often 
wrote  poems  which  were  set  to  music  and  sung  in  .  the 
drawing-rooms  of  the  most  refined  assemblies  in  the 
city.  His  young  master,  paying  his  addresses  to  a 
rich  heiress,  the  slave  was  ordered  to  write  a  poem 
embodying  the  master's  passion  for  the  young  lady. 
Placido  acquitted  himself  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  lover,  who  copied  the  epistle  in  his  own  hand,  and 
sent  it  on  its  mission.  The  slave's  compositions  were 
so  much  admired  that  they  found  their  way  into  the 
newspapers;  but  no  one  knew  the  negro  as  their 
author. 

In  1838,  these  poems,  together  with  a  number  which 
had  never  appeared  in  print,  were  entrusted  to  a  white 
man,  who  scut  them  to  England,  where  they  were 
published  and  much  praised  for  the  talent  and  schol 
arly  attainment  which  they  evinced.  A  number  of 
young  whites,  who  were  well  acquainted  with  Placido, 
and  appreciated  his  genius,  resolved  to  purchase  him, 
and  present  him  his  freedom,  which  was  done  in  1842. 

But  a  new  field  had  opened  itself  to  the  freed  black, 
and  he  began  to  tread  in  its  paths.  Freedom  for  him 
self  wTas  ouly  the  beginning;  he  sighed  to  make  others 
free. 

The  imaginative  brain  of  the  poet  produced  verses 
which  the  slaves  sung  in  their  own  rude  way,  and 
which  kindled  in  their  hearts  a  more  intense  desire  for 
liberty.  Placido  planned  an  insurrection  of  the  slaves, 
in  which  he  was  to  be  their  leader  and  deliverer;  but 
the  scheme  failed. 

After  a  hasty  trial,  he  was  convicted  and  sentenced 


260  THE   RISING   SON. 

to  death.  The  fatal  day  came,  he  walked  to  the  place 
of  execution  with  as  much  calmness  as  if  it  had  been 
to  an  ordinary  resort  of  pleasure.  His  manly  and 
heroic  bearing  excited  the  sympathy  and  admiration  of 
all  who  saw  him.  As  he  arrived  at  the  fatal  spot,  he 
began  reciting  the  hymn,  which  he  had  written  in  his 
cell  the  previous  nigbt. 

"  Almighty  God  ;  whose  goodness  knows  no  bound, 
To  Thee  I  nee  in  my  severe  distress  ; 
O,  let  Thy  potent  arm  my  wrongs  redress, 
And  rend  the  odious  veil  by  slander  wound 
About  my  brow.     The  base  world's  arm  confound, 

Who  on  my  front  would  now  the  seal  of  shame  impress." 

The  free  blacks  in  Cuba  form  an  important  element 
in  her  population,  and  these  people  are  found  in  all  the 
professions  and  trades.  The  first  dentists  are  Blake 
and  Coopat,  mulattoes;  the  first  musician,  Joseito 
White,  a  mulatto;  one  of  the  best  young  ladies'  acad 
emies  at  present  existing  at  Havana  is  personally  con 
ducted  by  an  accomplished  negro  woman,  Maria  cfe 
Serra,  to  whom  many  a  lady  of  high  rank  owes  her 
social  and  intellectual  accomplishments.  The  only 
Cuban  who  has  distinguished  herself  as  an  actress  on 
foreign  stages  is  Dacoste,  a  mulatto ;  Covarrubias,  the 
great  comedian  and  lively  writer,  for  many  years  the 
Gtar  of  the  Cuban  stage,  was  also  a  mulatto;  Francisco 
Manzano,  the  poet,  was  a  negro  slave. 

The  prompter  of  the  theatre  of  St.  John,  of  Porto 
Rico,  is  Bartolo  Antique,  a  negro,  so  intelligent  that 
the  dramatic  companies  that  come  from  Spain  prefer 
him  to  their  own  prompters.  The  engineer  of  the 
only  steamboat  in  Porto  Rico  is  a  colored  man.  The 
only  artist  worthy  to  be  mentioned,  in  the  same  Island, 


CUBA   AND   PORTO   RICO.  261 

is  the  religious  painter,  Jos6  Campeche,  a  mulatto. 
These  are  only  a  few  known  and  acknowledged  as 
colored,  but  should  we  search  the  sources  of  every 
family  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  we  are  sure  that  more 
or  less,  we  could  trace  the  African  blood  in  the 
greatest  number  of  our  most  illustrious  citizens. 

In  Porto  Rico,  Dubois,  a  mulatto,  paid  the  penalty 
of  his  head  for  his  boldness  and  patriotism.  There 
were  in  Cuba,  in  1862,  two  hundred  and  twenty-one 
thousand  four  hundred  and  seventeen  free  colored 
people,  and  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  thousand 
five  hundred  and  fifty  slaves.  In  Porto  Rico,  in  the 
same  year,  there  were  two  hundred  and  forty-one 
thousand  and  fifteen  free  colored  people,  and  forty-one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-six  slaves. 

When  the  English  troops  invaded  the  Island  of 
Cuba,  in  1762,  the  negroes  behaved  so  well  during  the 
siege  at  Havana,  that  a  large  number  of  them  received 
from  Governor  Prado's  hands,  and  in  the  name  of  the 
King,  their  letters  of  emancipation,  in  acknowledg 
ment  of  their  gallantry  and  good  services. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

SANTO   DOMINGO. 

ALTHOUGH  not  strictly  a  Spanish  possession,  Santo 
Domingo  may  be  counted  in,  with  the  people  already 
enumerated  in  the  West  Indies.  Its  history  is  identical 
with  that  of  Ilayti.  Forming  a  part  of  the  same  Island, 
and  inhabited  by  blacks,  mulattoes,  and  whites;  and 
being  part  of  the  battle-ground  upon  which  the 
negroes  fought  the  French,  in  the  revolution  which 
freed  the  Island  from  its  former  masters.  Santo  Do 
mingo  has  passed  through  all  the  scenes  of  blood  and 
desolation,  only  in  a  milder  form,  that  their  neighbors 
of  the  other  end  of  the  Island  have  experienced. 
Santo  Domingo  has  been  under  Spanish,  French,  and 
Haytian  rule,  and  often  a  republic  of  her  own,  the 
latter  of  which  she  now  enjoys. 

It  was  during  the  government  of  Boyer  that  the 
Spanish  or  Dominican  part  of  the  Island  was  united 
with  the  French  part.  In  relation  to  this  matter, 
gross  misrepresentations  have  been  made; — it  has 
been  urged  in  defence  of  the  Dominican  claim  to  an 
independent  government,  an  independence  based  upon 
nullification,  that  they  were  beaten  down,  trampled 

(262) 


SANTO   DO3JINGO.  263 

upon,  and  almost  crushed  before  they  would  unite  with 
a  nation  of  blacks. 

The  facts  are  these:  at  the  time  of  Boyer's  election, 
the  Spanish  part  of  the  Island  was  independent,  but 
its  situation  was  most  precarious;  the  war  between 
Spain  and  her  revolted  provinces  in  South  America 
was  at  its  height,  and  the  Columbian  privateers  which 
thronged  the  Carribean  sea  were  continually  plunder 
ing  the  people  along  the  shores  of  the  Spanish  coast ; 
moreover,  there  were  many  persons  in  that  division 
of  the  Island  who  were  inclined  to  favor  a  union  with 
the  patriots  of  South  America,  but  by  far  the  largest 
number  opposed  this  suggestion. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  at  the  commencement 
of  Boyer'.s  administration..  After  maturely  reflecting 
upon  the  difficulties  by  which  they  were  surrounded, 
the  feeble  government  of  the  Spanish  part  sought 
protection  in  a  union  with  the  Haytians,  and  Boyer 
was  formally  solicited  by  them  to  grant  his  consent  to 
the  annexation  of  the  Eastern  part.  This  request  was 
complied  with,  and  the  Eastern  region  became  a  part 
and  parcel  of  that  republic. 

Thus  it  is  seen   that  the   Dominicans  adopted   the' 
Haytian  government,  not  only  voluntarily,  but  joyfully. 

At  the  close  of  Boyers  administration  the  Domin 
icans  separated  from  the  Haytians,  and  formed  a,  re 
public,  since  which  time  the  latter  has  made  war  upon 
the  former,  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  itself, 
and  which  has  been  the  great  cause  of  the  poverty 
and  want  of  development  of  both  sections  of  tiie  Island. 

Herard,  who  succeeded  Boyer  in  the  government 
of  Hayti,  and  who  was  president  when  the  Dominicans 
seceded,  was  himself  a  mulatto,  and  there  appeared  to 


264  THE   RISING    SON. 

be  no  cause  of  difficulty,  but  the  people  of  Sa'uto 
Domingo  wanted  the  change. 

The  Dominicans  enjoyed  a  better  state  of  civilization 
than  their  neighbors,  and  if  let  alone,  would  soon 
outstrip  Hayti  in  everything  pertaining  to  free  and 
independent  government. 

But  the  Dominicans  have  to  keep  a  large  standing 
army,  which  takes  most  of  their  young  men,  and  are 
always  in  an  unsettled  state,  which  greatly  hinders 
the  commercial  and  agricultural  growth  of  the  country. 

Both  Hayti  and  Santo  Domingo  will  doubtless,  at 
no  distant  day,  fall  into  the  hands  of  some  more  civi 
lized  nation  or  nations,  for  both  arc  on  the  decline, 
cspeciully  as  regards  self-defence.  Both  are  to-day  at 
the  mercy  of  nearly  all  other  nations,  and  some  day 
the  "Doctor"  will  go  in  to  look  after  the  *  'Sick  man." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

INTRODUCTION  OF  BLACKS  INTO  THE  AMERICAN  COLONIES. 

SIMULTANEOUSLY  with  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims 
from  the  Mayflower,  on  Plymouth  Rock,  December 
22d,  1G20,  a  clumsy-looking  brig,  old  and  dirty, 
with  paint  nearly  obliterated  from  every  part,  slowly 
sailed  up  the  James  River,  and  landed  at  Jamestown. 
The  short,  stout,  fleshy  appearance  of  the  men  in  charge 
of  the  vessel,  and  the  five  empty  sour-crout  barrels 
which  lay  on  deck,  told  plainly  in  what  country  the 
navigators  belonged.  •  ,,. 

Even  at  that  early  day  they  had  with  them  their 
"native  bcvernge,"  which,  though  not  like  the  lager 
of  the  present  time,  was  a  drink  over  which  they 
smoked  and  talked  of  "Fardcrland,"  and  traded  for 
the  negroes  they  brought.  The  settlers  of  Jamestown, 
and  indeed,  all  Virginia  at  that  time,  were  mainly 
cavaliers,  gentlemen-adventurers,  aspiring  to  live  by 
their  wits  and  other  men's  labor.  Few  of  the  pioneers 
cherished  any  earnest  liking  for  downright  persistent 
muscular  exertion,  yet  some  exertion  was  urgently  re 
quired  to  clear  away  the  heavy  forest  which  all  but 
covered  the  soil  of  the  infant  colony,  and  to  grow  the 

(2G5) 


266  THE  RISING  SON. 

tobacco  which  easily  became  the  staple  export  by 
means  of  which  nearly  everything  required  by  its 
people  but  food  was  to  be  paid  for  in  England. 

The  landing  of  the  twenty  slaves  from  the  Dutch 
brig  was  the  signal  for  all  sorts  of  adventurers  to 
embark  in  the  same  nefarious  traffic.  Worn-out  and 
unsea worthy  European  ships,  brigs,  barks,  schooners, 
and  indeed,  everything  else  that  could  float,  no  matter 
how  unsafe,  were  brought  into  requisition  to  supply 
the  demand  for  means  of  transportation  in  the  new 
commerce. 

Thousands  of  persons  incarcerated  in  the  prisons  of 
the  old  world  were  liberated  iipon  condition  that  they 
would  man  these  slave-trading  vessels.  The  discharged 
convicts  were  used  in  the  slave  factories  on  the  African 
coast,  and  even  the  marauding  expeditions  sent  out 
from  the  slave  ships  in  search  of  victims  were  mainly 
made  up  of  this  vile  off-cast  and  scum  of  the  prison 
population  of.  England,  France,  Germany,  Spain,  and 
Portugal.  So  great  w,i3  the  increase  of  this  traffic, 
that  in  t\  ehoit  time  the  importation  in  a  single  year 
amounted  to  forty  thousand  slaves. 

The  immense  growth  of  the  slave  population  in  the 
Southern  States,. soon  caused  politicians  to  take  sides 
for  or  against  the  institution.  This,  however,  did  not 
manifest  itself  to  any  very  great  extent,  until  the 
struggle  for  National  Independence  was  over,  and  the 
people,  North  and  South,  began  to  look  at  their  in 
terests  connected  with  each  section  of  the  country. 

At  the  time  that  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
put  forth,  no  authentic  enumeration  had  been  made; 
but  when  the  first  census  was  taken  in  1701,  the  totr.l 
number  of  slaves  in  what  are  now  known  as  the  North- 


INTRODUCTION    OF    BLACKS.  2C7 

ern   States,    was    forty  thousand    three   hundred  and 
seventy;  in  the  Southern,  six  hundred  and  fifty-three, 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ten. 

It  is  very  eomnion  at  this  day  to  speak  of  our  rev 
olutionary  struggle  as  commenced  and  hurried  forward 
by  a  union  of  free  and  blave  colonies;  but  such  is  not 
the  fact.  However  slender  and  dubious  its  legal  basis, 
slavery  existed  in  each  and  all  of  the  colonies  that 
united  to  declare  and  maintain  their  Independence. 
Slaves  were  proportionately  more  numerous  in  certain 
portions  of  the  South;  but  they  were  held  with  impu 
nity  throughout  the  North,  advertised  like  dogs  or 
horses,  and  sold  at  auction,  or  otherwise,  as  chattels. 
Vermont,  then  a  territory  in  dispute  between  New 
Hampshire  and  New  York,  and  with  very  few  civilized 
inhabitants,  mainly  on  its  southern  and  eastern  bor 
ders,  is  probably  the  only  portion  of  the  revolutionary 
confederation  never  polluted  by  the  tread  of  a  slave. 

The  spirit  of  liberty,  aroused  or  intensified  by  the 
protracted  struggle  of  the  colonists  against  usurped 
and  abused  power  in  the  mother-country,  soon  found 
itself  engaged  in  natural  antagonism  against  the  cur 
rent  form  of  domestic  despotism. 

"How  shall  we  complain  of  arbitrary  or  unlimited 
power  exerted  over  us,  while  we  exert  a  still  more 
despotic  and  inexcusable  power  over  a  dependent  and 
benighted  race?"  was  very  fairly  asked.  Several 
suit?  were  brought  in  Massachusetts — where  the  fires 
of  liberty  burned  earliest  and  brightest — to  test  the 
legal  right  of  slaveholding:  and  the  leading  Whigs  gave 
their  money  and  their  legal  services  to  support  these 
actions,  which  were  generally,  on  one  ground  or  an 
other,  successful.  Efforts  for  an  express  law  of  emau- 


268  THE  RISING  SON. 

cipation,  however,  failed,  even  in  Massachusetts;  the 
Legislature  doubtless  apprehended  that  such  a  meas 
ure,  by  alienating  the  slaveholders,  would  increase  the 
number  and  power  of  the  Tories;  but  in  1777,  a  pri 
vateer  having  brought  a  lot  of  captured  slaves  into 
Jamaica,  and  advertised  them  for  sale,  the  General 
Court,  as  the  legislative  assembly  was  called,  inter 
fered,  and  had  them  set  at  liberty.  The  first  Conti 
nental  Congress  which  resolved  to  resist  the  usurp 
ations  and  oppressions  of  Great  Britain  by  force,  had 
already  declared  that  our  struggle  would  be  "for  the 
cause  of  human  nature,"  which  the  Congress  of  1776, 
under  the  lead  of  ^Thomas  Jefferson,  expanded  into 
the  noble  affirmation  of  the  right  of  "all  men  to  life, 
liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness"  contained  in  the 
immortal  preamble  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
A  like  averment  that  "all  men  are  born  free  and  equal," 
was  in  1780  inserted  in  the  Massachusetts  Bill  of 
Eights;  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  State,  in 

1783,  on   an  indictment   of   a  master  for  assault   and 
battery,'  held   this  declaration  a   bar  to  slave-holding 
henceforth  in  the  State. 

A  similar  clause  in  the  second  Constitution  of  New 
Hampshire,  was  held  by  the  courts  of  that  State  to 
secure  freedom  to  every  child  born  therein  after  its 
adoption.  Pennsylvania,  in  1780,  passed  an  act  prohib 
iting  the  further  introduction  of  slaves,  and  securing 
freedom  to  all  persons  born  in  that  State  thereafter. 
Connecticut  and  Ehode  Island  passed  similar  acts  in 

1784.  Virginia,  in  1778,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Jefferson, 
prohibited  the  further    importation   of  slaves;   and  in 
1782,  removed  all  legal  restrictions  on  emancipation. 
Maryland    adopted  both    of   these    in    1783.     North 


INTRODUCTION   OF   BLACKS.  269 

Carolina,  in  1786,  declared  the  introduction  of  slaves 
into  the  State  "of  evil  consequences  and  highly  im 
politic,"  and  imposed  a  duty  of  £5  per  head  thereon. 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  followed  the  example  of 
Virginia  and  Maryland,  including  the  domestic  in  the 
same  interdict  with  the  foreign  slave-trade.  Neither 
of  these  states,  however,  declared  a  general  emancipa 
tion  until  many  years  thereafter,  and  slavery  did  not 
wholly  cease  in  New  York  until  about  1830,  nor  in 
New  Jersey  till  a  much  later  date.  The  distinction  of 
free  and  slave  states,  with  the  kindred  assumption  of  a 
natural  antagonism  between  the  North  and  South,  was 
utterly  unknown  to  the  men  of  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

SLAVES  IN  THE  NORTHERN  COLONIES. 

THE  earliest  account  we  have  of  slavery  in  Massa 
chusetts  is  recorded  in  Jossclyn's  description  of  his 
first  visit  to  New  England,  in  1G38.  Even  at  that 
time,  slave-raising  on  a  small  scale  had  an  existence 
at  the  North.  Josselyn  says:  "  Jlr.  Maverick  had  a 
negro  woman  from  whom  he  was  desirous  of  having  a 
breed  of  slaves;  he  therefore  ordered  his  young  negro 
man  to  sleep  with  her.  The  man  obeyed  his  master  so 
far  as  to  go  to  bed,  when  the  young  woman  kicked  him 
out.  *  This  seems  to  have  been  the  first  case  of  nn 
insurrection  in  the  colonies,  and  commenced,  too,  by  a 
woman.  Probably  this  fact  has  escaped  the  notice  of 
the  modern  advocates  of  "Woman's  Eights."  The 
public  sentiment  of  the  early  Christians  upon  the 
question  of  slavery  can  be  seen  by  the  following  form 
of  ceremony,  which  was  used  at  the  marriage  of 
slaves. 

This  was  prepared  and  used  by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Phillips,  of  Andovcr,  whose  ministry  there,  beginning 
in  1710,  and  ending  with  his  death,  in  1771,  was  a 

*  John  Josselyn. 

(270) 


SLAVES   IN   THE   ^ORTHERN   COLONIES.  271 

prolonged  and  eminently  distinguished  service  of  more 
than  half  the  eighteenth  century:  — 

"You,  Bob,  do  now,  in  ye  Presence  of  God  and 
these  Witnesses,  Take  Sally  to  be  your  wife; 

"Promising,  that  so  far  as  shall  be  consistent  with 
ye  Relation  which  you  now  Sustain  as  a  servant,  you 
will  Perform  ye  Part  of  an  Husband  towards  her:  And 
in  particular,  ,°s  you  shall  have  ye  Opportunity  &  Abil 
ity,  you  will  take  proper  Care  of  her  in  Sickness  and 
Health,  in  Prosperity  &  Adversity; 

"And  that  you  will  be  True  &  Faithfull  to  her,  and 
will  Cleave  to  her  only,  so  long  as  God,  in  his  Provi 
dence,  shall  continue  your  and  her  abode  in  Such  Place 
(or  Places)  as  that  you  can  conveniently  come  to 
gether.  Do  You  thus  Promise  ? 

"You,  Sally,  do  now,  in  ye  Presence  of  God,  and 
these  Witnesses,  Take  Bob  to  be  your  Husband; 

"Promising,  that  so  far  as  your  present  Relation  -as  a 
Servant  shall  admit,  you  will  Perform  the  Part  of  a 
Wife  towards  him:  and  in  particular, 

"You  Promise  that  you  will- Love  him;  And  that  as 
you  shall  have  the  Opportunity  &  Ability,  you  will 
take  a  proper  Care  of  him  in  Sickness  and  Health;  in 
Prosperity  and  Adversity : 

"And  you  will  cleave  to  him  only,  so  long  as  God, 
in  his  Providence,  shall  continue  his  &  your  Abode  in 
such  Place  (or  Places)  as  that  you  can  come  together. 

Do  you  thus  Promise?  I  then,  agreeable  to  your 

Request,  and  with  ye  Consent  of  your.  Masters  &  Mis 
tresses,  do  Declare  that  you  have  License  given  you 
to  be  conversant  and  familiar  together  as  Husband  and 
Wife,  so  long  as  God  shall  continue  your  Places  of 


272  THE    RISING    SOX. 

/ 

Abode  as  aforesaid ;  And  so  long  as  you  Shall  behave 
yourselves  as  it  becometh  servants  to  doe : 

"For  you  must  both  of  you  bear  in  mind  that  you 
remain  still,  as  really  and  truly  as  ever,  your  Master's 
Property,  and  therefore  it  will  be  justly  expected, 
both  by  God  and  Man,  that  you  behave  and  conduct 
yourselves  as  Obedient  and  faithfull  Servants  to 
wards  your  respective  Masters  &  Mistresses  for  the 
Time  being: 

"And  finally,  I  exhort  and  Charge  you  to  beware  lest 
you  give  place  to  the  Devel,  so  as  to  take  occasion 
from  the  license  now  given  you,  to  be  lifted  up  with 
Pride,  and  thereby  fall  under  the  Displeasure,  not  of 
Man  only,  but  of  God  also;  for  it  is  written,  that  God 
resisteth  the  Proud  but  giveth  Grace  to  the  humble. 

"I  shall  now  conclude  with  Prayer  for  you,  that  you 
may  become  good  Christians,  and  that  you  may  be 
enabled  to  conduct  as  such;  and  in  particular,  that 
you  may  have  Grace  to  behave  suitably  towards  each 
Other,  as  also  dutifully  towards  your  Masters  &,  Mis 
tresses,  Not  with  Eye  Service  as  Men  pleasers,  ye 
Servants  of  Christ  doing  ye  Will  of  God  from  ye 
heart,  £c. 

"[ENDORSED] 

"NEGRO  MARRIAGE." 

We  have  given  the  above  form  of  marriage,  verbatim 
et  literatim. 

In  1641,  the  Massachusetts  Colony  passed  the  fol 
lowing  law:  — 

"There  shall  never  be  any  bond  slaverie,  villinage, 
or  captivitie  amongst  us  unless  it  be  lawfull  captives 
taken  in  just  warres,  and  such  strangers  as  willingly 


SLAVES   IN   THE   NORTHERN   COLONIES.  273 

sell  themselves.  And  these  shall  have  all  the  liber- 
tics  and  Christian  usages,  which  the  law  of  God  estab 
lished  in  Israel  concerning  such  persons  doth  morally 
require.  This  exempts  none  from  servitude,  who 
shall  be  judged  thereto  by  authority." 

In  1646,  one  James  Smith,  a  member  of  a  Boston 
church,  brought  homo  two  negroes  from  the  coast  of 
Guinea,  and  had  been  the  means  of  killing  near  a 
hundred  more.  In  consequence  of  this  conduct,  the 
General  Court  passed  the  following  order:  — 

"The  General  Court  conceiving  themselves  bound 
by  the  first  opportunity  to  bear  witness  against  the 
heinous  and  crying  sin  of  man-stealing,  as  also  to 
prescribe  such  timely  redress  for  what  is  passed,  and 
such  a  law  for  the  future  as  may  sufficiently  deter  all 
others  belonging  to  us  to  have  to  do  in  such  vile  and 
odious  courses,  justly  abhorred  of  all  good  and  just 
men,  do  order  that  the  negro  interpreter  with  others 
unlawfully  taken,  be  by  the  first  opportunity  at  the 
charge  of  the  country  for  the  present,  sent  to  his  na 
tive  country  (Guinea)  and  a  letter  with  him  of  the 
indignation  of  the  Court  thereabouts,  and  justice  there 
of  desiring  our  honored  Governor  would  please  put 
this  order  in  execution." 

From  this  time  till  about  1700,  the  number  of  slaves 
imported  into  Massachusetts  was  not  large.  In  1680, 
Governor  Simon  Bradstreet,  in  answer  to  inquiries 
from  "the  lords  of  his  Majesty's  privy  council,"  thus 
writes :  — 

"There  hath   been  no  company  of  blacks  or  slaves 

brought  into   the  country  since   the  beginning  of  this 

plantation,  for  the  space  of  fifty  yeares,  only  one  small 

vessell  about  two  yeares   since  after  twenty  months' 

18 


274  THE  RISING  SON. 

voyage  to  Madagascar  brought  hither  betwixt  forty  and 
fifty  negroes,  most  women  an  3  children,  sold  for  £10, 
£15,  and  £20  apiece,  which. stood  the  merchants  in  near 
£40  apiece  one  with  another:  now  and  then  two  or 
three  negroes  are  brought  hither  from  Barbadoes  and 

<-*•  ^2 

other  of  His  Majesty's  plantations,  and  sold  here  for 
about  £20  apiece,  so  that  there  may  bee  within  our 
government  about  one  hundred,  or  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  and  it  may  bee  as  many  Scots  brought  hither 
and  sold  for  servants  in  the  time  of  the  war  with  Scot 
land,  and  most  now  married  and  living  here,  and  about 
halfe  so  many  Irish  brought  hither  at  several  times  as 
servants." 

The  number  of  slaves  at  this  period  in  the  middle 
and  southern  colonies  is  not  easily  ascertained,  as  few 
books,  and  no  newspapers  were  published  in  North 
America  prior  to  1704.  In  that  year,  the  "Weekly 
News  Letter"  was  commenced,  and  in  the  same  year 
the  "Society  for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospels  in 
foreign  parts  opened  a  catechising  school  for  the  slaves 
at  New  York,  in  which  city  there  were  then  computed 
to  be  about  fifteen  hundred  Negro  and  Indian  slaves," 
a  sufficient  number  to  furnish  materials  for  the  "irre 
pressible  conflict,"  which  had  long  before  begun.  .  The 
catechist,  whom  the  Society  employed,  was  "Mr.  Elias 
Neau,  by  nation  a  Frenchman,  who  having  made  a 
confession  of  the  Protestant  religion  in  France,  for 
which  he  had  been  confined  several  years  in  prison, 
and  seven  years  in  the  galleys."  Mr.  Neau  entered 
upon  his  office  "with  great  diligence,  and  his  labors 
were  very  successful ;  but  the  negroes  were  much  dis 
couraged  from  embracing  the  Christian  religion  upon 
the  account  of  the  very  little  regard  showed  them  in 


SLAVES   IN   THE   NORTHERN   COLONIES.  275 

any  religious  respect.  Their  marriages  were  performed 
by  mutual  consent  only,  without  the  blessing  of  the 
church;  they  were  buried  by  those  of  their  own 
country  and  complexion,  in  the  common  field,  with 
out  any  Christian  office;  perhaps  some  ridiculous 
heathen  rites  were  performed  at  the  grave  by  some  of 
their  own  people.  No  notice  was  given  of  their  being 
sick,  that  they  might  be  visited;  on  the  contrary, 
frequent  discourses  were  made  in  conversation  that 
they  had  no  souls,  and  perished  as  the  beasts,  and 
that  they  grew  worse  by  being  taught  and  made 
Christians."* 

From  this  time  forward,  the  increase  of  slaves  was 
very  rapid  in  Virginia  and  South  Carolina,  and  with 
this  increase,  discontent  began  to  show  itself  amongst 
the  blacks. 

*  Joshua  Coffin 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

• 

COLORED  INSURRECTIONS  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

THE  first  serious  effort  at  rebellion  by  the  slaves 
in  the  colonies,  occurred  in  New  York,  in  1712;  where, 
if  it  had  not  been  for  the  timely  aid  from  the  garri 
son,  the  city  would  have  been  reduced  to  ashes.  The 
next  insurrection  took  place  in  South  Carolina,  in 
1720,  where  the  blacks  in  considerable  numbers  at 
tacked  the  whites  in  their  houses  and  in  the  streets. 

Forces  were  immediately  raised  and  sent  after  them, 
twenty-three  of  whom  were  taken,  six  convicted,  three 
executed,  and  three  escaped. 

In  October,  1722,  about  two  hundred  negroes  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Eappahannock  River,  Virginia,  got 
together  in  a  body,  armed  with  the  intent  to  kill  the 
people  in  church,  but  were  discovered,  and  fled. 

On  the  loth  of  April,  1723,  Governor  Dummer 
issued  a  proclamation  with  the  following  preamble, 
viz:  — 

"Whereas,  within  some  short  time  past,  many  fires 
have  broke  out  within  the  town  of  Boston,  and  divers 
buildings  have  thereby  been  consumed :  which  fires 
have  been  designedly  and  industriously  kindled  by 

(27G) 


COLORED   INSURRECTIONS    IX   THE    COLONIES.       277 

some  villainous  and  desperate  negroes,  or  other  disso 
lute  people,  as  appears  by  the  confession  of  some  of 
them  (who  have  been  examined  by  the  authority),  and 
many  concurring  circumstances;  and  it  being  vehe 
mently  suspected  that  they  have  entered  into  a  combi 
nation  to  burn  and  destroy  the  town,  I  have  therefore 
thought  fit,  with  the  advice  of  his  Majesty's  council, 
to  issue  forth  this  proclamation,"  etc. 

Ou  the  18th  of  April,  1723,  Rev.  Joseph  Sewall 
preached  a  discourse,  particularly  occasioned  "by  the 
late  fires  yt  have  broke  out  in  Boston,  supposed  to  be 
purposely  set  by  ye  negroes." 

On  the  next  day,  April  19th,  the  Selectmen  of  Bos 
ton  made  a  report  to  the  town  on  the  subject,  consist 
ing  of  nineteen  articles,  of  which  the  following  is 
No.  9:  — 

"That  if  more  than  two  Indians,  Negro  or  Mulatto 
Servants  or  Slaves  be  found  in  the  Streets  or  High 
ways  in  or  about  the «  Town,  idling  or  lurking 
together  unless  in  the  service  of  their  Master  or 
Employer,  every  one  so  found  shall  be  punished  at  the 
House  of  Correction." 

So  great  at  that  time  were  the  alarm  and  danger 
in  Boston,  occasioned  by  the  slaves,  that  in  addition 
to  the  common  watch,  a  military  force  was  not  only 
kept  up,  but  at  the  breaking  out  of  every  fire,  a  part 
of  the  militia  were  ordered  out  under  arms  to  keep 
the  slaves  in  order!  I 

In  1728,  an  insurrection  of  slaves  occurred  in  Savan 
nah,  Georgia,  who  were  fired  on  twice  before  they  fled. 
They  had  formed  a  plot  to  destroy  all  the  whites,  and 
nothing  prevented  them  but  a  disagreement  about  the 
mode.  At  that  time,  the  population  consisted  of  three 


278  THE   RISING   SON. 

thousand  whites  and  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
blacks. 

In  August,  1730,  an  insurrection  of  blacks  occurred 
in  Williamsburgh,  Virginia,  occasioned  by  a  report, 
on  Colonel  Spotswood's  arrival,  that  he  had  directions 
from  His  Majesty  to  free  all  baptized  persons.  The 
negroes  improved  this  to  a  great  height.  Five  counties 
were  in  arms  pursuing  them,  with  orders  to  kill  them 
if  they  did  not  submit. 

In  August,  1730,  the  slaves  in  South  Carolina  con 
spired  to  destroy  all  the  whites.  This  was  the  first 
open  rebellion  in  that  State  where  the  negroes  were 
actually  armed  and  embodied,  and  took  place  on  the 
Sabbath. 

In  the  same  month,  a  negro  man  plundered  nnd 
burned  a  house  in  Maiden  (Mass.,)  and  gave  this 
reason  for  his  conduct,  that  his  master  had  sold  him  to 
a  man  in  Salem,  whom  he  did  not  like. 

In  1731,  Captain  George  Scott,  of  Rhode  Island, 
was  returning  from  Guinea  with  a  cargo  of  slaves,  who 
rose  upon  the  ship,  murdered  three  of  the  crew,  all  of 
whom  soon  after  died,  except  the  captain  and  boy. 

In  1732,  Captain  John  Major,  of  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  was  murdered,  with  all  his  crew,  and  the 
schooner  and  cargo  seized  by  the  slaves. 

In  1741,  there  was  a  formidable  insurrection  among 
the  slaves  in  New  York.  At  that  time  the  population 
consisted  of* twelve  thousand  whites,  and  two  thousand 
blacks.  Of,  the  conspirators,  thirteen  were  burned 
alive,  eighteen  hung,  and  eighty  transported. 

Those  who  were  transported  were  sent  to  the  West 
India  islands.  As  a  specimen  of  the  persons  who 


COLORED   INSURRECTIONS    IN    THE    COLONIES.     279 

% 

were  suitable  for  transportation,  I  give  the  following 
from  the  "Boston  Gazette,"  Aug.  17,  1761:  — 

"To  be  sold,  a  parcel  of  likely  young  Negroes,  im 
ported  from  Africa,  cheap  for  cash.  Inquire  of  John 
Avery.  Also,  if  any  person  have  any  negro  men, 
strong  and  hearty,  though  not  of  the  best  moral  char 
acter,  which  are  proper  subjects  of  transportation, 
they  may  have  an  exchange  for  small  negroes." 

In  1747,  the  slaves  on  board  of  a  Rhode  Island  ship 
commanded  b}7  Captain  Beers,  rose,  when  off  Cape 
Coast  Castle,  and  murdered  the  captain  and  all  the 
crew,  except  the  two  mates,  who  swam  ashore. 

In  1754,  C.  Croft,  Esq.,  of  Charleston,  South  Caro 
lina,  had  his  buildings  burned  by  his  female  negroes, 
two  of  whom  were  burned  alive! ! 

In  September,  1755,  Mark  and  Phillis,  slaves, 
were  put  to  death  at  Cambridge  (Mass.,)  for  poison 
ing  their  master,  Mr.  John  Codman  of  Charlestown. 
Mark  was  hanged,  and  Phillis  burned  alive.  Having 
ascertained  that  their  master  had,  by  his  will,  made 
them  free  at  his  death,  they  poisoned  him  in  order 
to  obtain  their  liberty  so  much  the  sooner. 

In  the  year  1800,  the  city  of  Richmond,  Virginia, 
and  indeed  the  whole  slave-holding  country  were 
thrown  into  a  state  of  intense  excitement,  consternation 
and  alarm,  by  the  discovery  of  an  intended  insurrection 
among  the  slaves.  The  plot  was  laid  by  a  slave  named 
Gabriel,  who  was  claimed  as  the  property  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Prosser.  A  full  and  true  account  of  this 
General  Gabriel,  and  of  the  proceedings  consequent 
on  the  discovery  of  the  plot,  has  never  yet  been  pub 
lished.  In  1831,  a  short  account  which  is  false  in 
almost  every  particular,  appeared  in  the  Albany 


280  THE  RISING  SON. 

"Evening  Journal,"  under  the  head  of  "Gabriel's 
Defeat." 

The  following  is  the  copy  of  a  letter  dated  Sep 
tember  21,  1800,  written  by  a  gentleman  of  Rich 
mond,  Virginia,  published  in  the  "Boston  Gazette," 
October  6th:  — 

"By  this  time,  you  have  no  doubt  heard  of  the  con 
spiracy  formed  in  this  country  by  the  negroes,  which, 
but  for  the  interposition  of  Providence,  would  have 
put  the  metropolis  of  the  State,  and  even  the  State 
itself,  into  their  possession.  A  dreadful  storm,  with 
a  deluge  of  rain,  which  carried  away  the  bridges, 
and  rendered  the  water-courses  everywhere  impassable, 
prevented  the  execution  of  their  plot.  It  was  extensive 
and  vast  in  its  design.  Nothing  could  have  been  better 
contrived.  The  conspirators  were  to  have  seized  on 
the  magazine,  the  treasury,  the  mills,  and  the  bridges 
across  James  River.  They  were  to  have  entered  the 
city  of  Richmond  in  three  places  with  fire  and  sword, 
to  commence  an  indiscriminate  slaughter,  the  French 
only  excepted.  They  were  then  to  have  called  on 
their  fellow-negroes  and  the  friends  of  humanity 
throughout  the  continent,  by  proclamation,  to  rally 
round  their  standard.  The  magazine,  which  was 
defenceless,  would  have  supplied  them  with  arms  for 
many  thousand  men. 

"The  treasury  would  have  given  them  money,  the 
mills  bread,  and  the  bridges  would  have  enabled  them 
to  let  in  their  friends,  and  keep  out  their  enemies. 
Never  was  there  a  more  propitious  season  for  the 
accomplishment  of  their  purpose. 

"The  country  is  covered  with  rich  harvests  of  Indian 
corn;  flocks  and  herds  are  everywhere  fat  in  the 


COLORED   INSURRECTIONS    IN    THE    COLONIES.     281 

fields,  and  the  liberty  and  equality  doctrine,  nonsen 
sical  and  wicked  as  it  is  (in  this  land  of  tyrants  and 
slaves),  is  for  electioneering  purposes  sounding  and 
resounding  through  our  valleys  and  mountains  in  every 
direction.  The  city  of  Richmond  and  the  circumjacent 
country  are  in  arms,  and  have  been  so  for  ten  or 
twelve  days  past.  The  patrollers  are  doubled  through 
the  State,  and  the  Governor,  impressed  with  the 
magnitude  of  the  danger,  has  appointed  for  himself 
three  aids-de-camp.  A  number  qf  conspirators  have 
been  hung,  and  a  great  many  more  are  yet  to  be  hung. 
The  trials  and  executions  are  going  on  day  by  day. 
Poor,  deluded  wretches!  Their  democratic  deluders, 
conscious  of  their  own  guilt,  and  fearful  of  tjie  public 
vengeance,  are  most  active  in  bringing  them  to 
punishment." 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

BLACK  MEN  IN   THE   REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

THE  Boston  Massacre,  March  5,  1770,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  first  act  in  the  great  drama  of  the 
American  Revolution.  "From  that  moment,"  said 
Daniel  Webster,  "we  may  date  the  severance  of  the 
British  Empire."  The  presence  of  the  British  soldiers 
in  King  Street  excited  the  patriotic  indignation  of  the 
people.  The  whole  community  was  stirred,  and  sage 
counsellors  were  deliberating  and  writing  and  talking 
about  the  public  grievances.  But  it  was  not  for  "the 
wise  and  prudent"  to  be  the  first  to  act  against  the 
encroachments  of  arbitrary  power. 

A  motley  rabble  of  men  and  boys,  led  by  Crispus 
Attucks,  a  negro",  and  shouting,  "The  way  to  get  rid 
of  these  soldiers  is  to  attack  the  main  guard;  strike 
at  the  root;  this  is  the  nest!"  with  more  valor  than 
discretion,  they  rushed  to  King  Street,  and  were  fired 
upon  by  Captain  Preston's  company.  Crispus  Attucks 
was  the  first  to  fall;  he  and  Samuel  Gray  and  Jonas 
Caldwell  were  killed  on  the  spot.  Samuel  Maverick 
and  Patrick  Carr  were  mortally  wounded. 

The  excitement  which  followed  was  intense.  The 

(282) 


BLACK  MEN  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.    283 

bells  of  the  town  were  rung;  an  impromptu  meeting 
was  held,  and  an  immense  assembly  was  gathered. 
Three  days  after,  on  the  8th, ^  public  funeral  of  the 
martyrs  took  place.  The  shops  in  Boston  were 
closed;  all  the  bells  of  Boston  and  neighboring  towns 
were  rung.  It  was  said  that  a  greater  number  of 
persons  assembled  on  this  occasion  than  were  ever 
before  gathered  on  the  continent  for  a  similar  purpose. 
The  body  of  Attacks,  the  negro  slave,  had  been 
placed  in  Faneu'l  Hall,  with  that  of  Caldwell,  both 
being  strangers  in  the  city.  Maverick  was  buried 
from  his  mother's  house  in  Union  Street,  and  Gray 
from  his  brother's,  in  Royal  Exchange  Lane.  The 
four  hearses  formed  a  junction  in  King  Street,  and 
there  the  procession  marched  on  in  columns  six  deep, 
with  a  long  file  of  coaches  belonging  to  the  most 
distinguished  citizens,  to  the  middle  bury  ing-ground, 
where  the  four  victims  were  deposited  in  one  grave, 
over  which  a  stone  was  placed  with  the  following  in 
scription: 

"Long  as  in  Freedom's  cause  the  wise  contend, 
Dear  to  your  country  shall  your  fame  extend ; 
While  to  the  world  the  lettered  stone  shall  tell, 
Where  Caldwell,  Attucks,  Gray  and  Maverick  fell. " 

The  anniversary  of  this  event  was  publicly  commem 
orated  in  Boston,  by  an  oration  and  other  exercises, 
every  year  until  after  our  national  independence  was 
achieved,  when  the  Fourth  of  July  was  substituted  for 
the  fifth  of  March,  as  the  more  proper  day  for  general 
celebration.  Not  only  was  the  occasion  commemo 
rated,  but  the  martyrs  who  then  gave  up  their  lives 
were  remembered  and  honored.  For  half  a  century 


284  THE  RISEXG  SON. 

after  tlje  close  of  the  war,  the  name  of  Crispus  Attacks 
was  honorably  mentioned  by  the  most  noted  men  of 
the  country,  who  were  not  blinded  by  foolish  preju 
dice,  which,  to  say  the  most,  was  only  skin-deep. 

A  single  passage  from  Bancroft's  history  will  give 
a  succinct  and  clear  account  of  the  condition  of  the 
army  in  respect  to  colored  soldiers,  at  the  time  of 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill:  — 

"Nor  should  history  forget  to  record,  that,  as  in 
the  army  at  Cambridge,  so  also  in  this  gallant  band, 
the  free  negroes  of  the  colony  had  their  representa 
tives.  For  the  right  of  free  negroes  to  bear  arms  in 
the  public  defence  was,  at  that  day,  as  little  disputed 
in  New  England  as  their  other  rights.  They  took 
their  place  not  in  a  separate  corps,  but  in  the  ranks 
with  the  white  man;  and  their  names  may  be  read  on 
the  pension-rolls  of  the  country,  side  by  side  with 
those  of  other  soldiers  of  the  Revolution."  * 

The  capture  of  Major-General  Prescott,  of  the  Brit 
ish  army,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1777,  was  an  occasion 
of  great  rejoicing  throughout  the  country.  Prince, 
the  valiant  negro  who  seized  that  officer,  ought  always 
to  be  remembered  with  honor  for  his  important  ser 
vice. 

The  battle  of  Red  Bank,  and  the  battle  of  Rhode 
Island,  on  the  29th  of  August,  1778,  entitle  the 
blacks  to  perpetual  honor,  f 

When  Colonel  Green  was  surprised  and  murdered, 
near  Points  Bridge,  New  York,  on  14th  of  May,  1781, 

*  Bancroft's  "History  of  the  United  States."  Vol.  VII. 
p.  421. 

f  Moore's  '*Diary  of  the  American  Revolution."  Vol.  I. 
p.  468. 


BLACK  MEN  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.    285 

his  colored  soldiers  heroically  defended  him  till  they 
were  cut  to  pieces;  and  the  enemy  reached  him  over 
the  dead  bodies  of  his  faithful  negroes.  Of  this  last  en 
gagement,  A-rnold,  in  his  "History  of  lihode  Island," 
says :  — 

"A  third  time  the  enemy,  with  desperate  courage 
and  increased  strength,  attempted  to  assail  the  redoubt 
and  would  have  carried  it,  but  for  the  timely  aid  of  two 
continental  battalions  despatched  by  Sullivan  to  sup 
port  his  almost  exhausted  troops.  It  was  in  repelling  . 
these  furious  onsets,  that  the  newly  raised  black  regi 
ment,  under  Colonel  Greene,  distinguished  itself  by 
deeds  of  desperate  valor.  Posted  behind  a  thicket  in  the 
valley,  they  three  times  drove  back  the  Hessians,  who 
charged  repeatedly  down  the  hill  to  dislodge  them ;  and 
so  determined  were  the  enemy  in  these  successive 
charges,  that,  the  day  after  the  battle,  the  Hessian 
colonel,  upon  whom  this  duty  had  devolved,  applied 
to  exchange  his  command,  and  go  to  New  York,  be 
cause  he  dared  not  lead  his  regiment  again  to  battle, 
lest  his  men  should  shoot  him  for  having  caused  them 
so  much  loss." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

BLACKS  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812, 

IN  the  war  of  1812,  colored  men  again  did 
honor  by  volunteering  their  services  in  aid  of  Amer 
ican  freedom,  both  at  the  North  and  at  the  South.  In 
the  latter  section,  even  the  slaves  were  invited,  antf 
entered  the  army,  where  their  bravery  was  highly  ap 
preciated.  The  following  document  speaks  for  itself. 

"HEAD  QUARTERS,  SEVENTH  MILITARY  DISTRICT, 
MOBILE,  September  21,  1814. 

"To  the  Free  Colored  Inhabitants  of  Louisiana: 

"Through  a  mistaken  policy,  you  have  heretofore 
been  deprived  of  a  participation  in  the  glorious  struggle 
for  national  rights,  in  which  our  country  is  engaged. 
This  no  longer  shall  exist. 

"As  sons  of  freedom,  you  are  now  called  upon  to 
defend  our  most  inestimable-  blessings.  As  Americans, 
your  country  looks  with  confidence  to  her  adopted 
children  for  a  valorous  support,  as  a  faithful  return  for 
the  advantages  enjoyed  under  her  mild  and  equitable 
government.  As  fathers,  husbands,  and  brothers,  you 

(286) 


BLACKS  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.         287 

are  summoned  to  rally  around  the  standard  of  the 
Eagle,  to  defend  all  which  is  dear  in  existence. 

"Your  country,  although  calling  for  your  exertions, 
docs  not  wish  you  to  engage  in  her  cause  without  re 
munerating  you  for  the  services  rendered.  Tour  in 
telligent  minds  are  not  to  be  led  away  by  false  repre 
sentations — your  love  of  honor  would  cause  you  to 
despise  the  man  who  should  attempt  to  deceive  you. 
With  the  sincerity  of  a  soldier,  and  in  the  language  of 
truth,  I  address  you. 

"To  every  noble-hearted  free  man  of  color,  volun 
teering  to  servo  during  the  present  contest  with  Great 
Britain,  and  no  longer,  there  will  be  paid  the  same 
bounty,  in  money  and  lands,  now  received  by  the 
white  soldiers  of  the  United  States,  namely — one  hun 
dred  and  twenty-four  dollars  in  money,  and  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  The  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  will  also  be  entitled  to  the 'same 
monthly  pay,  daily  rations,  and  clothes,  furnished  to 
any  American  soldier. 

"On  enrolling  yourselves  in  companies,  the  Major- 
General  commanding  will  select  officers  for  your  gov 
ernment,  from  your  white  fellow-citizens.  Your 
non-commissioned  officers  will  be  appointed  from 
among  yourselves. 

"Due  regard  will  be  paid  to  the  feelings  of  freemen 
and  soldiers.  You  will  not,  by  being  associated  with 
white  men,  in  the  same  corps,  be  exposed  to  improper 
comparisons,  or  unjust  sarcasm.  As  a  distinct  inde 
pendent  battalion  or  regiment,  pursuing  the  path  of 
glory,  you  will,  undivided,  receive  the  applause  and 
gratitude  of  your  countrymen. 

"To  assure  you  of  the   sincerity  of  my  intentions, 


288  THE   RISING   SOX. 

and  my  anxiety  to  engage  your  invaluable  services  to 
our  country,  I  have  communicated  my  wishes  to  the 
Governor  of  Louisiana,  who  is  fully  informed  as  to  the 
manner  of  enrollments,  and  will  give  you  every  neces 
sary  information  on  the  subject  of  this  address. 

44 ANDREW  JACKSON, 

" Major-General  Commanding."  * 

December  18th,  1814,  General  Jackson  issued  the 
following  address  to  the  colored  members  of  his 
army :  — 

"SOLDIERS! — When,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mobile,  J 
called  you  to  take  up  arms,  inviting  you  to  partake 
of  the  perils  and  glory  of  your  white  fellow-citizens,  I 
expected  much  from  you;  for  I  was  not  ignorant  that 
you  possessed  qualities  most  formidable  .to  an  invad 
ing  enemy.  I  knew  with  what  fortitude  you  could 
endure  hunger  and  thirst,  and  all  the  fatigues  of  a 
campaign.  I  knew  well  how  you  loved  your  native 
country,  and  that  you,  as  well  as  ourselves,  had  to 
defend  what  man  holds  most  dear — his  parents,  wife, 
children,  and  property.  You  have  done  more  than  I 
expected.  .In  addition  to  the  previous  qualities  I 
before  knew  you  to  possess,  I  found  among  you  a 
noble  enthusiasm,  which  leads  to  the  performance  of 
great  things. 

« 'Soldiers!  the  President  of  the  United  States  shall 
hear  how  praiseworthy  was  your  conduct  in  the  hour 
of  danger,  and  the  representatives  of  the  American 
people  will  give  you  the  praise  your  exploits  entitle 

*  Niles'  Register,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  205 


BLACKS    IN    THE    WAR    OF    TS12,  289 

you  to.    Your  general  anticipates  them  in  applauding 
your  noble  ardor. 

"The  enemy  approaches;  his1  vessels  cover  our 
lakes;  our  brave  citizens  are  united,  and  all  contention 
has  ceased  among  them.  Their  only  dispute  is,  who 
shall  win  the  prize  of  valor,  or  who  the  most  glory, 
its  noblest  reward. 

"By  order, 

"THOMAS  BUTLER,  Aid-de-camp." 

The  "New  Orleans  Picayune,'"  in  an  account  of  the 
celebration  of  the  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  in  that  city, 
in  1851,  says: — 

"Not  the  least  interesting,  although  the  most  novel 
feature  of  the  procession  yesterday,  was  the  presence 
of  ninety  of  the  colored  veterans  who  bore  a  conspic 
uous  part  in  the  dangers  of  the  day  they  were  now 
for  the  first  time  called  to  assist  in  celebrating,  and 
who,  by  their  good  conduct  in  presence  of  the  enemy, 
deserved  and  received  the'  approbation  of  their  illus 
trious  commandcr-in-chief .  During  the  thirty-six  years 
that  have  passed  away  since  they  assisted  to  repel 
the  invaders  from  our  shores,  these  faithful  men  have 
never  Before  participated  in  the  annual  rejoicings  for 
the  victory  which  their  valor  contributed  to  gain. 

Their  good  deeds  have  been  consecrated  only  in  their 
memories,  or  lived  but  to  claim  a  passing  notice  on 
the  page  of  the  historian."  Yet,  who  more  than  they 
deserve  the  thanks  of  the  country,  and  the  gratitude 
of  succeeding  generations?  Who  rallied  with  more 
alacrity  in  response  to  the  summons  of  danger? 
Who  endured  more  cheerfully  the  hardships  of  the 
19 


290  THE  RISING    SON. 

camp,  or  faced  with  greater  courage  the  perils  of  the 
fight?  If,  in  that  hazardous  hour,  when  our  homes 
were  menaced  with  the  horrors  of  war,  we  dkl  not 
disdain  to  call  upon  the  colored  population  to  assist 
in  repelling  the  invading  horde,  we  should  not,  when 
the  danger  is  past,  refuse  to  permit  them  to  unite 
with  us  in  celebrating  the  glorious  event  which  they 
helped  to  make  so  memorable  an  epoch  in  our  history. 
We  were  not  too  exalted  to  mingle  with  them  in  the 

o 

affray ;  they  were  not  too  humble  to  join  in  our  rejoic 


ings. 


"Such,  we  think,  is  the  universal  opinion  of  our 
citizens.  We  conversed  with  many  yesterday,  and 
without  exception,  they  expressed  approval  of  the  invi 
tation  which  had  been  extended  to  the  colored  vet 
erans  to  take  part  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  day,  and 
gratification  at  seeing  them  in  a  conspicuous  place  in 
the  procession. 

"The  respectability  of  their  appearance,  and  the 
modesty  of  their  demeanor,  made  an  impression  on 
every  observer  and  elicited  unqualified  approbation. 
Indeed,  though  in  saying  so  we  do  not  mean  disrespect 
to  any  one  else,  we  think  that  they  constituted  decid 
edly  the  most  interesting  portion  of  the  pageant,  as 
they  certainly  attracted  the  most  attention." 

On  Lakes  Erie  and  Champlain,  colored  men  were 
also  engaged  in  these  battles  which  have  become  his 
torical,  exhibiting  the  same  heroism  that  characterized 
them  in  all  their  previous  efforts  in  defence  of  their 
country's  rights. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  CUKSE   OF  SLAVERY. 

THE  demoralization  which  the  institution  entailed 
upon  all  classes  in  the  community  in  which  it  existed, 
was  indeed  fearful  to  contemplate;  •  and  we  may  well 
say  that  slavery  is  the  curse  of  curses.  While  it  made 
the  victim  a  mere  chattel,  taking  from  him  every  char 
acteristic  of  manhood,  it  degraded  the  mind  of  the 
master,  brutalized  his  feelings,  seared  his  conscience, 
aud  destroyed  his  moral  sense. 

Immorality  to  a  great  extent,  pervaded  every  slave- 
holding  city,  town,  village,  and  dwelling  in  the  South. 
Morality  and  virtue  were  always  the  exceptions.  The 
Southern  clergy,  backed  by  the  churches,  defended 
their  right  to  hold  slaves  to  the  last.  Houses  of  relig 
ious  worship  and  the  negro  pen  were  often  in  sight 
of  each  other. 

The  Southern  newspapers  teemed  with  advertise 
ments,  which  were  a  fair  index  to  this  monstrous 
social  evil. 

Is'ow  that  slavery  is  swept  away,  it  may  be  interest 
ing  to  see  some  of  these  newspaper  notices,  in  the 
light  of  the  new  dispensation  of  freedom. 

(291) 


292  THE    RISING    SON. 

The  New  Orleans  ''True  Delta"  in  1853,  graced  its 
columns  with  the  following:  "Mr.  Joseph  Jennings 
respectfully  informs  his  friends  and  the  public,  that, 
at  the  request  of  many  of  his  acquaintances,  he  has 
been  induced  to  purchase  from  Mr.  Osborn,  of  Mis 
souri,  the  celebrated  dark  bay  horse  "Star,"  age  five 
years,  square  trotter,  and  warranted  sound,  with  a 
new  light-trotting  buggy  and  harness;  also  the  stout 
mulatto  girl  "Sarah,"  aged  about  twenty  years,  gen 
eral  house  servant,  valued  at  nine  hundred  dollars, 
and  guaranteed;  will  be  raffled  for  at  four  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  February  1st,  at  any  hotel  selected  by  the  sub 
scribers. 

"The  above  is  as  represented,  and  those  persons  who 
may  wish  to  engage  in  the  usual  practice  of  raffling 
will,  I  assure  them,  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  their 
destiny  in  this  affair. 

"Fifteen  hundred  chances,  at  one  dollar  each. 

"The  whole  is  valued  at  its  just  worth,  fifteen  hun 
dred  dollars. 

"The  raffle  will  be  conducted  by  gentlemen  selected 
by  the  interested  subscribers  present.  Five  nights 
allowed  to  complete  the  raffle.  Both  of  above  can  be 
seen  at  my  store,  No.  78  Common  Street,  second  door 
from  Camp,  at  from  9  o'clock,  A.  M.,  till  half-past  two, 
p.  M. 

"Highest  throw  takes  the  first  choice;  the  lowest 
throw  the  remaining  prize,  and  the  fortunate  winners 
to  pay  twenty  dollars  each,  for  the  refreshments  fur 
nished  for  the  occasion." 

The  "Picayune,"  of  the  same  city,  gives  the  follow 
ing: 


THE    CURSE    OF    SLAVERY.  293 

"$100  REWARD. — Run  away  from  the  plantation  of 
the  undersigned,  the  negro  man  Shedrick,  a  preacher, 
five  feet  nine  inches  high,  about  forty  years  old,  but 
looking  not  over  twenty-three,  stamped  N.  E.  on  the 
breast,  and  having  both  small  toes  cut  off.  He  is  of  a 
very  dark  complexion,  with  eyes  small,  but  bright,  and 

,  • 

a  look  quite  insolent.  He  dresses  good,  and  was 
arrested  as  a  runaway  at  Donaldsonville,  some  three 
years  ago.  The  above  reward  will  be  paid  for  his 
arrest,  by  addressing  Messrs.  Armant  Brothers,  St. 
James  Parish,  or  A.  Milteuberger  &  Co.,  30  Carondalet 
Street." 

A  Savannah  (Georgia)  paper  has'the  annexed  notice. 

"Committed  to  prison,  three  weeks  ago,  under  sus 
picious  circumstances,  a  negro  woman,  who  calls  her 
self  Phebe,  or  Phillis.  Says  she  is  free,  and  lately 
from  Beaufort  District,  South  Carolina.  Said  woman 
is  about  fifty  years  of  age,  stout  in  stature,  mild- 
spoken,  five  feet  four  inches  high,  and  weighs  about 
one  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  Having  made  diligent 
inquiry  by  letter,  and  from  what  I  can  learn,  said 
woman  is  a  runaway.  Any  person  owning  said  slave 
can  get  her  by  making  application  to  me,  properly 
authenticated." 

The  practice  of  capturing  runaway  slaves,  with 
blood-hounds  trained  for  the  purpose,  during  the 
days  of  slave  rule  in  the  South,  is  well  known.  We 
give  below  one  of  the  advertisements  as  it  appeared 
in  print  at  the  time. 

"The  undgrsigned,  having  an  excellent  pack  of 
hounds  for  trailing  and  catching  runaway  slaves, 
informs  the  public  that  his  prices  in  future  will  be  as 
follows  for  such  services: 


294  THE    RISING   SON. 

For  each  day  employed  in  hunting  or  trailing     $2.50 
For  catching  each  slave    -  10.00 

For  g-oinsr  over  ten  miles,  and  catching  slaves       20.00 

*j  O  '  O 

"If  sent  for,  the  above  prices  will  be  exacted  in  cash. 
The  subscriber  resides  one  mile  and  a  half  south  of 

Dadevillc,  Ala. 

"B.  BLACK. " 

Slavery  so  completely  seared  the  conscience  of  the 
whites  of  the  South,  that  they  had  no  feeling  of  com 
passion  for  the  blacks,  as  the  following  illustration 
will  show.  At  St.  Louis,  in  the  year  1835,  Francis 
Mclntosh,  a  free  colored  man,  while  defending  him 
self  from  an  attack  of  white  ruffians,  one  of  the  latter 
was  killed.  At  once  the  colored  man  was  taken, 
chained  to  a  tree,  and  burnt  to  death.  .One  of  the 
newspapers  at  the  time  gave  the  following  account  of 
the  inhuman  affair:  — 

"All  was  silent  as  death  while  the  executioners 
were  piling  wood  around  their  victim.  He  said  not 
a  word,  until  feeling  that  the  flames  had  seized  upon 
him.  He  then  uttered  an  awful  howl,  attempting  to 
sing  and  pray,  then  hung  his  head,  and  suffered  in 
silence,  except  in  the  following  instance.  After  the 
flames  had  surrounded  their  prey,  his  ejes  burnt  out 
of  his  head,  and  his  mouth  seemingly  parched  to  a 
cinder,  some  one  in  the  crowd,  more  compassionate 
than  the  rest,  proposed  to  put  an  end  to  his  misery  by 
shooting  him,  when  it  was  replied,  'That  would  be  of 
no  use,  since  he  was  already  out  of  pain.'  *No,  no/ 
said  the  wretch,  'I  am  not,  I  am  suffering  as  much  as 
ever;  shoot  me,  shoot  me.'  'No,  no,'  said  one  of  the 
fiends  \vho  was  standing  about  the  sacrifice  they  were 


THE    CURSE    OF    SLAVERY.  295 

roasting,  'he  shall  not  be  shot.  I  would  sooner 
slacken  the  fire,  if  it  would  increase  his  misery;'  and 
the  man  who  said  this  was,  as  we  understand,  an 
officer  of  justice!" 

Lest  this  demonstration  of  "public  opinion"  should 
be  regarded  as  a  sudden  impulse  merely,  not  an  index 
of  the  settled  tone  of  fcelir.g  in  that  community,  it  is 
important  to  add,  that  the  Hon.  Luke  E.  Lawless, 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Missouri,  at  a  session 
of  that  court  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  some  months 
after  the  burning  of  this  man,  decided  officially  that 
since  the  burning  cf  Mclntosh  was  the  act,  either 
directly  or  by  countenance  of  a  majority  of  the  citi 
zens,  it  is  "a  cnse  which  transcends  the  jurisdiction" 
of  the  Grand  Jury!  Thus  the  State  of  Missouri  pro 
claimed  to  the  world  that  the  wretches  who  perpe 
trated  that  unspeakably  diabolical  murder,  and  the 
thousands  that  stood  by  consenting  to  it,  wore  her 
representatives,  and  the  Bench  sanctified  it  with  the 
solemnity  of  a  judicial  decision. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

DISCONTENT  AND   INSURRECTION. 

AN  undeveloped  discontent  always  pervaded  the 
black  population  of  the  South,  bond  and  free.  Human 
bondage  is  ever  fruitful  of  insurrection,  wherever  it 
exists,  and  under  whatever  circumstances  it  may  be 
found.  The  laws  forbidding  either  free  people  of 
color  or  slaves  to  assemble  in  any  considerable  num 
bers  for  religious,  or  any  other  purpose,  without  two 
or  more  whites  being  present,  and  the  rigorous  en 
forcement  of  such  laws,  show  how  fearful  the  slave- 
masters  were  of  their  injured  victims. 

Everything  was  done  to  make  the  Negro  feel  that 
he  was  not  a  man,  but  a  thing;  his  inferiority  was 
impressed  upon  him  in  all  possible  ways.  In  the 
great' cities  ot  the  South,  free  colored  ladies  were  not 
allowed  to  wear  a  veil  in  the  streets,  or  in  any  public 
places.  A  violation  of  this  law  was  visited  with  thirty- 
nine  lashes  upon  the  bare  back.  The  same  was  in 
flicted  upon  the  free  colored  man  who  should  be  seen. 
upon  the  streets  with  a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  or  a  walk 
ing-stick  in  his  hand.  Both,  when  walking  the 
streets,  were  forbidden  to  take  the  inside  of  the  pave- 

(296) 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  297 

ment.  Punishment  of  fine  and  imprisonment  was  laid 
upon  any  found  out  of  their  houses  after  nine  o'clock 
at  niirht. 

i™^ 

An  extra  tax  was  placed  upon  every  member  of  a 
free  colored  family.  While  all  these  odious  edicts 
were  silently  borne  by  the  free  colored  people  of 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  1822,  there  was  a  sup 
pressed  feeling  of  indignation,  mortification,  and  dis 
content,  that  was  only  appreciated  by  a  few.  Among 
the  most  dissatisfied  of  the  free  blacks  was  Denmark 
Vesey,  a  man  who  had  purchased  his  freedom  in  the 
year  1800,  and  since  that  time  had  earned  his  living 
by  his  trade,  being  a  carpenter  and  joiner. 

In  person,  Vescy  was  tall  and  of  spare  make;  in 
color,  a  dark  mulatto;  high  forehead;  eyes,  dark 
brown;  nose,  long  and  with  a  Roman  cast.  His  educa 
tion  was  superior  to  that  of  his  associates,  and  he  had 
read  much,  especially  of  the  condition  of  his1  own 
race,  and  felt  deeply  for  them  in  their  degraded  con 
dition. 

Vesey  was  a  native  of  the  West  Indies.  Having 
been  employed  on  shipboard  by  his  master,  Captain 
Vesey,  Denmark  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  the  world, 
and  had  acquired  a  large  fund  of  information,  and  was 
regarded  as  a  leading  man  among  the  blacks.  He 
had  studied  the  Scriptures,  and  never  lost  an  oppor 
tunity  of  showing  that  they  were  opposed  to  chattel- 
slavery.  He  spoke  freely  with  the  slaves  upon,  the 
subject,  and  often  with  the  whites,  where  he  found  he 
could  do  so  without  risk  to  his  own  liberty. 

After  resolving  to  incite  the  slaves  to  rebellion,  he 
began  taking  into  his  confidence  such  persons  as  he 

could  trust,  and    instructing   them  to   gain   adherents 

o  o 


298  THE  RISING   SON.. 

from  among  the  more  reliable  of  both  bond  and  free. 
Peter  Poyas,  a  slave  of  more  than  ordinary  foresight 
and  ability,  was  selected  by  Vesey  as  his  lieutenant; 
and  to  him  was  committed  the  arduous  duty  of 
arranging  the  mode  of  attack,  and  of  acting  as  the 
military  leader. 

His  plans  showed  some  natural  generalship;  he 
arranged  the  night  attack;  he  planned  the  enrollment 
of  a  mounted  troop  to  scour  the  streets;  and  he  hud 
a  list  of  all  the  shops  where  arms  and  ammunition 
were  kept  for  sale.  He  voluntarily  undertook  the 
management  of  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  enter 
prise, — the  capture  oj:  the  main  guard-house, — and 
had  pledged  himself  to  advance  alone,  and  surprise 
the  sentinel.  He  was  said  to  have  a  magnetism  in 
his  eye,  of  which  his  confederates  stood  in  great  awe; 
if  ho  once  got  his  eye  upon  a  man,  there  was  no  re 
sisting  it. 

Gullah  Jack,  Tom  Russell,  and  Ned  Bennett.  The 
last  two  were  not  less  valuable  than  Peter  Poyas;  for 
Tom  was  an  ingenious  mechanic,  and  made  battle- 
axes,  pikes,  and  other  instruments  of  death,  with 
which  to  carry  on  the  war.  A 11  of  the  above  were  to  be 
generals  of  brigades,  and  were  let  into  all  the  secrets 
of  the  intended  rising.  It  has  long  been  the  custom 
in  Charleston  for  the  country  slaves  to  visit  the  city 
in  grent  numbers  on  Sunday,  and  return  to  their 
homes  in  time  to  commence  work  on  the  following 
morning.  It  was  therefore  determined  by  Denmark 
to  have  the  rising  take  place  on  Sunday.  The  slaves 
of  nearly  every  plantation  in  the  vicinity  were  en 
listed,  and  were  tu  take  part. 

The  details   of   the  plan,  however,  were  not. rashly 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  299 

committed  to  the  muss  of  the  confederates;  they  were 
known  only  to  a  few,  and  were  finally  to  have  been 
announced  after  the  evening  prayer-meeting  on  the 
appointed  Sunday.  But  each  leader  had  his  own  com 
pany  enlisted,  and  his  own  work  marked  out.  When 
the  clock  struck  twelve,  all  were  to  move.  Peter 
Poyas  wa^  to  lead  a  party  ordered  to  assemble  at 
South  Bay,  and  to  be  joined  by  a  force  from  James' 
Island;  he  was  then  to  march  up  and  seize  the  arsenal 
and  guard-house  opposite  St.  Michael's  Church,  and 
detach  a  sufficient  number  to  cut  off  all  white  citizens 
who  should  appear  at  the  alarm  posts.  A  second 
body  of  negroes,  from  the  country  and  the  Neck, 
headed  by  Ned  Bennett,  was  to  assemble  on  the  Neck 
and  seize  the  arsenal  there.  A  third  was  to  meet  at 
Governor  Bennett's  Mills,  under  command  of  Rolla, 
another  leader,  and,  after  putting  the  governor  and 
intendant  to  death,  to  march  through  the  city,  or  be 
posted  at  Cannon's  Bridge,  thus  preventing  the  inhab 
itants  of  Cannonsborough  from  entering  the  city.  A 
fourth,  partly  from  the  country  and  partly  from  the 
neighboring  localities  in  the  city,  was  to  rendezvous  on 
Gadsden's  Wharf,  and  attack  the  upper  guard-house. 

A  fifth,  composed  of  country  and  Neck  negroes,  was 
to  assemble  at  Bulkley's  farm,  tw7o  miles  and  a  half 
from  the  city,  seize  the  upper  powder  magazine,  and 
then  march  down;  and  a  sixth  was  to  assemble  at 
Denmark  Vesey's,  and  obey  his  orders.  A  seventh 
detachment,  under  Gullah  Jack,  was  to  assemble  in 
Boundary  Street,  at  the  head  of  King  Street,  to  cap 
ture  the  arms  of  the  Neck  company  of  militia,  and  to 
take  an  additional  supply  from  Mr.  Duquercron's 
shop.  The  naval  stores  on  Mey's  Wharf  were  also  to 


300  THE    RISING    SOX.     . 

bo  attacked.  Meanwhile  a  horse  company,  consisting 
of  many  draymen,  hostlers,  and  butcher  boys,  was  to 
meet  at  Lightwood's  Alley,  and  then  scour  the  streets 
to  prevent  the  whites  from  assembling.  Every  white 
man  coming  out  of  his  own  door  was  to  be  killed, 
and,  if  necessary,  the  city  was  to  be  fired  in  several 
places — slow  match  for  this  purpose  having- been  pur 
loined  from  the  public  arsenal  and  placed  in  an  ac 
cessible  position." 

The  secret  and  plan  of  attack,  however,  were  in-t 
cautiously  divulged  to  a  slave  named  Devany,  belong 
ing  to  Colonel  Prioleau,  and  he  at  once  informed  his 
master's  family.  The  mayor,  on  getting  possession 
of  the  facts,  called  the  city  council  together  for 
consultation.  *  The  investigation  elicited  nothing  new, 
for  the  slaves  persisted  in  their  ignorance  of  the 
matter,  and  the  authorities  began  to  feel  that  they 
had  been  imposed  upon  by  Devany  and  his  informant, 
when  another  of  the  conspirators,  being  bribed, 
revealed  what  he  knew.  Arrests  after  arrests  were 
made,  and  the  Mayor's  Court  held  daily  examinations 
for  weeks.  After  several  weeks  of  incarceration,  the 
accused,  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  number,  were 
brought  to  trial:  thirty-four  were  sentenced  to  trans 
portation,  twenty-seven  acquitted  by  the  court,  twenty- 
five  discharged  without  trial,  and  thirty-five  con 
demned  to  death.  With  but  two  or  three  exceptions, 
all  of  the  conspirators  went  to  the  gallows  feeling 
that  they  had  acted  right,  and  died  like  men  giving 
their  lives  for  the  cause  of  freedom.  A  report  of  the 
trial,  written  soon  after,  says  of  Denmark  Vesey:  — 

"For  several  years  before  he    disclosed   his   inten 
tions  to  any  one,  he  appears  to  have   been  constantly 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  301 

and  assiduously  engaged  in  endeavoring  to  embitter 
the  minds  of  the  colored  population  against  the  white. 
He  rendered  himself  perfectly  familiar  with  all  those 
parts  of  the  Scriptures  which  he  thought  he  could 
pervert  to  his  purpose,  and  would  readily  quote  them 
to  prove  that  slavery  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
God, — that  slaves  were  bound  to  attempt  their  eman 
cipation,  however  shocking  and  bloody  might  be  the 
consequences, — and  thaj;  such  efforts  would  not  only 
be  pleasing  to  the  Almighty,  but  were  absolutely 
enjoined,  and  their  success  predicted,  in  the  Script 
ures.  His  favorite  texts,  when  he  addressed  those  of 
his  own  color,  were  Zachariah  xiv:  1-3,  and  Joshua 
vi:  21 ;  and  in  all  his  conversations  he  identified  their 
situation  with  that  of  the  Israelites. 

The  number  of  inflammatory  pamphlets  on  slavery 
brought  into  Charleston  from  some  of  our  sister  states 
within  the  last  four  years  (and  once  from  Sierra 
Leone) ,  and  distributed  amongst  the  colored  population 
of  the  city,  for  which  there  was  a  great  facility,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  unrestricted  intercourse  allowed  to  the 
persons  of  color  between  the  different  states  in  the 
Union,  and  the  speeches  in  Congress  of  those  opposed 
to  the  admission  of  Missouri  into  the  Union,  perhaps 
garbled  and  misrepresented,  furnished  him  with  ample 
means  for  inflaming  the  minds  of  the  colored  popula 
tion  of  this  State;  and  by  distorting  certain  parts  of 
those  speeches,  or  selecting  from  them  particular  pas 
sages,  he  persuaded  but  too  many  that  Congress  had 
actually  declared  them  free,  and  that  they  were  held 
in  bondage  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 

Even  whilst  walking  through  the  streets  in  company 
with  another,  he  was  not  idle;  for  if  his  companion 


302  THE  RISING  SON. 

bowed  to  a  white  person,  he  would  rebuke  him,  and 
observe  that  all  men  were  born  equal,  and  that  he  was 
surprised  that  any  one  would  degrade  himself  by  such 
conduct, — that  he  would  never  cringe  to  the  whites, 
nor  ought  any  one  who  had  the  feelings  of  a  man. 
When  answered,  'We  are  slaves,'  he  would  sarcasti 
cally  and  indignantly  reply,  'You  deserve  to  remain 
slaves;'  and  if  he  were  further  asked,  'What  can  we 
do  ?'  he  would  remark,  'Go  and  Jbuy  a  spelling-book  and 
read  the  fable  of  Hercules  and  the  Wagoner,'  which  he 
would  then  repeat,  and  apply  it  to  their  situation.  He 
also  sought  every  opportunity  of  entering  into  conver 
sation  with  white  persons,  when  they  could  be  over 
heard  by  negroes  near  by,  especially  in  grog  shops; 
during  which  conversation,  he  would  artfully  introduce 
some  bold  remark  on  slavery;  and  sometimes,  when, 
from  the  character  he  was  conversing  with,  he  found  he 
might  be  still  bolder,  he  would  go  so  far,  that,  had  not 
his  declarations  in  such  situations  been  clearly  proved, 
they  would  scarcely  have  been  credited.  He  continued 
this  course  until  some  time  after  the  commencement  of 
the  last  winter ;  by  which  time  he  had  not  only  obtained 
incredible  influence  amongst  persons  of  color,  but 
many  feared  him  more  than  their  owners,  and,  one  of 
them  declared,  even  more  than  his  God." 

The  excitement  which  the  revelations  of  the  trial  oc 
casioned,  and  the  continual  fanning  of  the  flame  by  the 
newspapers,  were  beyond  description.  Double  guard 
in  the  city,  the  country  patrol  on  horseback  and  on 
foot,  thtt  watchfulness  that  was  observed  on  all  planta 
tions,  showed  the  deep  feeling  of  fear  pervading  the 
hearts  of  the  slaveholders,  not  only  in  South  Carolina, 
but  the  fever  extended  to  the  other  Southern  states, 


DISCONTENT   AND    INSURRECTION.  303 

and  all  seemed  to  feel  that  a  great  crisis  had  been 
passed.  And  indeed,  their  fears  seem  not  to  have 
been  without  ground,  for  a  more  complicated  plan  for 
an  insurrection  could  scarcely  have  been  conceived. 
And  many  were  of  opinion  that  the  rising  once 
begun,  they  would  have  taken  the  city  and  held  it,  and 
might  have  sealed  the  fate  of  slavery  in  the  South.* 
But  a  more  successful  effort  in  rebellion  was  made  in 
Southampton,  Virginia,  in  the  year  1831,  at  the  head 
of  which  was  Nat  Turner. 

On  one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  plantations  in 
Southampton  County,  Virginia,  owned  by  Benjamin 
Turner,  Esq.,  Nat  was  born  a  slave,  on  the  2d  of 
October,  1800.  His  parents  were  of  unmixed  African 
descent.  Surrounded  as  he  was  by  the  superstition  of- 
the  slave  quarters,  and  being  taught  by  his  mother 
that  he  was  born  for  a  prophet,  a  preacher,  and  a 
deliverer  of  his  race,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  child 
should  have  imbibed  the  principles  which  were  after 
wards  developed  in  his  career.  Early  impressed  with 
the  belief  that  he  had  seen  visions,  and  received  com 
munications  direct  from  God,  he,  like  Napoleon, 
regarded  himself  as  a  being  of  destiny.  In  his 
childhood  Nat  was  of  an  amiable  disposition;  but 
circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed  as  a  slave, 
brought  out  incidents  that  created  a  change  in  his  dis 
position,  and  turned  his  kind  and  docile  feeling  into 
the  most  intense  hatred  to  the  white  race. 

Being  absent  one  night  from  his  master's  plantation 
without  a  pass,  he  was  caught  by  Whitlock  and  Mull, 
the  two  district  patrol ers,  and  severely  flogged.  This 
act  of  cruelty  inflamed  the  young  slave,  and  he 

*  T.  W.  Higgiuson,  in  Atlantic  Monthly,  June,  1861. 


304  THE  RISING  SON. 

resolved  upon  having  revenge.  Getting  two  of  the 
boys  of  a  neighboring  plantation  to  join  him,  Nat 
obtained  a  long  rope,  went  out  at  night  on  the  road 
through  which  the  officers  had  their  beat,  and  sta 
tioning  his  companions,  one  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
he  stretched  the  rope  across,  fastening  each  end  to  a 
tree,  and  drawing  it  tight.  His  rope  thus  fixed,  and 
his  accomplices  instructed  how  to  act  their  part,  Nat 
started  off  up  the  road.  The  night  being  dark,  and 
the  rope  only  six  or  eight  inches  from  the  ground,  the 
slave  felt  sure  that  he  would  give  his  enemies  a  "high 
fall." 

Nat  hearing  them,  he  called  out  in  a  disguised 
voice,  "Is  dat  you,  Jim?"  To  this  Whitlock  replied, 
"Yes,  dis  is  me."  Waiting  until  the  white  men  were 
near  him,  Nat  started  off  upon  a  run,  followed  by  the 
officers.  The  boy  had  placed  a  sheet  of  white  paper 
in  the  road,  so  that  he  might  know  at  what  point  to 
jump  the  rope,  so  as  not  to  be  caught  in  his  own  trap. 
Arriving  at  the  signal  he  sprung  over  the  rope,  and 
went  down  the  road  like  an  antelope.  But  not  so 
with  the  white  men,  for  both  were  caught  by  the  legs 
and  thrown  so  hard  upon  the  ground  that  Mull  had 
his  shoulder  put  out  of  joint,  and  his  face  terribly 
lacerated  by  the  fall;  while  Whitlock's  left  wrist  was 
broken,  and  his  head  bruised  in  a  shocking  manner. 
Nat  hastened  home,  while  his  companions  did  the 
same,  not  forgetting  to  take  with  them  the  clothes 
line  which  had  been  so  serviceable  in  the  conflict. 
The  patrolers  wer.e  left  on  the  field  of  battle,  crying, 
swearing,  and  calling  for  help. 

Snow  seldom  falls  as  far  south  as  the  southern  part 
of  Virginia;  but  when  it  does,  the  boys  usually  have 


DISCONTENT    AND    INSURRECTION.  305 

a  good  time  snow-balling,  and  on  such  occasions  the 
slaves,  old  and  young,  women  and  men,  are  generally 
pelted  without  mercy,  and  with  no  right  to  retaliate. 
Tt  was  only  a  few  months  after  his  affair  with  the 
patrolers,  that  Nat  was  attacked  by  a  gang  of  boys, 
who  chased  him  some  distance,  snow-balling  with  all 
their  power.  The  slave  boy  knew  the  lads,  and 
determined  upon  revenge.  Waiting  till  night,  he 
filled  his  pockets  with  rocks,  and  went  into  the 
street.  Very  soon  the  same  gang  of  boys  were  at  his 
heels,  and  pelting  him.  Concealing  his  face  so  as 
not  to  be  known,  Nat  discharged  his  rocks  in  every 
direction,  until  his  enemies  had  all  taken  to  their 
heels. 

The  ill  treatment  he  experienced  at  the  hands  of 
the  whites,  and  the  visions  he  claimed  to  have  seen, 
caused  Nat  to  avoid,  as  far  as  he  could,  all  intercourse 
with  his  fellow-slaves,  and  threw  around  him  a  gloom 
and  melancholy  that  disappeared  only  with  his  life. 

Both  the  young  slave  and  his  friends  averred  that  a 
full  knowledge  of  the  alphabet  came  to  him  in  a 
single  night.  Impressed  with  the  belief  that  his  mis 
sion  was  a  religious  one,  and  this  impression  strength 
ened  by  the  advice  of  his  grandmother,  a  pious  but 
ignorant  woman,  Nat  commenced  preaching  when 
about  twenty -five  years  of  age,  but  never  went  beyond 
his  own  muster's  locality.  Jn  stature  he  was  under 
the  middle  size,  long-armed,  round-shouldered,  and 
strongly  marked  with  the  African  features.  A  gloomy 
fire  burned  in  his  looks,  and  he  had  a  melancholy 
expression  of  countenance.  He  never  tasted  a  drop 
of  ardent  spirits  in  his  life,  and  was  never  known  to 
smile.  In  the  year  1828  new  visions  appeared  to  Nat, 
20 


306  THE   RISING   SOX. 

and  he  claimed  to  have  direct  communication  with 
God.  Unlike  most  of  those  born  under  the  influence 
of  slavery,  he  had  no  faith  in  conjuring,  fortune-tell 
ing,  or  dreams,  and  always  spoke  with  contempt  of 
such  things. 

Being  hired  out  to  cruel  masters,  he  ran  away 
and  remained  in  the  woods  thirty  days,  and  could 
have  easily  escaped  to  the  free  states,  as  did  his 
father  some  years  before;  but  he  received,  as  he  says 
in  his  confession  a  communication  from  the  spirit, 
which  said,  * 'Return  to  your  earthly  master,  for  he 
who  knoweth  his  Master's  will,  and  doeth  it  Dot»  shall 
be  beaten  with  many  stripes."  It  was  not  the  will 
of  his  earthly,  but  his  heavenly  Master  that  he  felt 
bound  to  do,  and  therefore  Nat  returned.  His  fellow- 
slaves  were  greatly  incensed  at  him  for  coming  back, 
for  they  knew  well  his  ability  to  reach  Canada,  or 
some  other  land  of  freedom,  if  he  was  so  inclined. 

He  says  further:  " About  this  time  I  had  a  vision, 
and  saw  white  spirits  and  black  spirits  engaged  in  bat 
tle,  and  the  sun  was  darkened,  the  thunder  rolled  in 
the  heavens,  and  blood  flowed  in  streams;  and  I  heard 
a  voice  saying,  'Such  is  your  luck;  such  are  you  called 
on  to  see;  and  let  it  come,  rough  or  smooth, you  must 
surely  bear  it.' 

Some  time  after  this,  Nat  had,  as  he  says,  another 
vision,  in  which  the  spirit  appeared  and  said,  "The 
serpent  is  loosened,  and  Christ  has  laid  down  the 
yoke  he  has  borne  for  the  sins  of  men,  and  you  must 
take  it  up,  and  fight  against  the  serpent,  for  the  time 
is .  fast  approaching  when  the  first  shall  be  last,  and 
the  last  shall  be  first."  There  is  no  doubt  but  that 
this  last  sentence  filled  Nat  with  enthusiastic  feeling 


DISCOXTEXT   AXD   INSURRECTION.  307 

in  favor  of  the  liberty  of  his  race,  that  he  had  so 
long  dreamed  of.  "The  last  shall  be  first,  and  the 
first  shall  be  last,"  seemed  to  him  to  mean  something. 
He  saw  in  it  the  overthrow  of  the  whites,  and  the  es 
tablishing  of  the  blacks  in  their  stead,  and  to  this  end 
he  bent  the  energies  of  his  mind.  In  February,  1831, 
Nat  received  his  last  communication,  and  beheld  his 
last  vision.  He  said,  "I  was  told  I  should  arise  and 
prepare  myself,  and  slay  my  enemies  with  their  own 
weapons." 

The  plan  of  an  insurrection  was  now  formed  in  his 
own  mind,  and  the  time' had  arrived  for  him  to  take 
others  into  the  secret;  and  he  at  once  communicated 
his  ideas  to  four  of  his  friends,  in  whom  he  had  im 
plicit  confidence.  Hark  Travis,  Nelson  Williiuns,  Sam 
Edwards,  and  Henry  Porter  were  slaves  like  himself, 
and  like  him  had  taken  their  names  from  their  masters. 
A  meeting  must  be  held  with  these,  and  it  must  take 
place  in  some  secluded  place,  where  the  whites  would 
not  disturb  them;  and  a  meeting  was  appointed.  The 
spot  where  they  assembled  was  as  wild  and  romantic 
as  were  the  visions  that  had  been  impressed  upon  the 
mind  of  their  leader. 

Three  miles  from  where  Nat  lived  was  a  dark  swamp 
filled  with  reptiles,  in  the  middle  of  which  was  a  dry 
spot,  reached  by  a  narrow,  winding  path,  and  upon 
which  human  feet  seldom  trod,  on  account  of  its  hav 
ing  been  the  place  where  a  slave  had  been  tortured  to 
death  by  a  slow  fire,  for  the  crime  of  having  flogged 
his  cruel  and  inhuman  master.  The  night  for  the 
meeting  arrived,  and  they  came  together.  Hark 
brought  a  pig;  Sam,  bread;  Nelson,,  sweet  potatoes, 
and  Henry,  brandy;  and  the  gathering  was  turned 


308  THE    RISING    SOX. 

into  a  feast.  Others  were  taken  in,  and  joined  the 
conspiracy.  All  partook  heartily  of  the  food  and 
drank  freely,  except  Nat.  He  fasted  and  prayed.  It 
was  agreed  that  the  revolt  should  commence  that  night, 
and  in  their  own  master's  households,  and  that  each 
slave  should  give  his  oppressor  the  death-blow.  Be 
fore  they  left  the  swamp  Nat  made  a  speech,  in  which 
he  said,  " Friends  and  brothers:  We  are  to  commence 
a  great  work  to-night.  Our  race  is  to  be  delivered 
from  slavery,  and  God  has  appointed  us  as  the  men  to 
do  his  bidding,  and  let  us  be  worthy  of  our  calling. 
I  am  told  to  slay  all  the  whites  we  encounter,  without 
regard  to  age  or  sex.  We  have  no  arms  or  ammunition, 
but  we  will  find  these  in  the  houses  of  our  oppressors, 
and  as  we  go  on,  others  can  join  us.  Remember  that 
we  do  not  go  forth  for  the  sake  of  blood  and  carnage, 
but  it  is  necessary  that  in  the  commencement  of  this 
revolution  all  the  whites  we  meet  should  die,  until  we 
shall  have  an  army  strong  enough  to  carry  on  the  war 
upon  a  Christian  basis.  Remember  that  ours  is  not  a 
war  for  robbery -and  to  satisfy  our  passions;  it  is  a 
struggle  for  freedom.  Ours  must  be  deeds,  and  not 
words.  Then  let's  away  to  the  scene  of  action." 

Among  those  who  had  joined  the  conspirators  was 
Will,  a  slave,  who  scorned  the  idea  of  taking  his  mas 
ter's  name.  Though  his  soul  longed  to  be  free,  he 
evidently  became  one  of  the  party,  as  much  to  satisfy 
revenue,  as  for  the  libertv  that  he  saw  in  the  dim  dis- 

ft/ 

tance.  Will  had  seen  a  dear  and  beloved  wife  sold  to 
the  negro-trader  and  taken  away,  never  to  be  beheld 
by  him  again  in  this  life.  His  own  back  was  covered 
with  scars,  from  his  shoulders  to  his  feet.  A  large 
scar,  running  from  his  right  eye  down  to  his  chin, 


.       DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  309 

showed  that  he  had  lived  with  a  cruel  master. 
Nearly  six  feet  in  height,  and  one  of  the  strongest  and 
most  athletic  of  his  race,  he  proved  to  be  the  most 
unfeeling  of  all  the  insurrectionists.  His  only  weapon 
was  a  broad-axe,  sharp  and  heavy. 

Nat  and  his  accomplices  at  once  started  for  the  plan 
tation  of  Joseph  Travis,  with  whom  the  four  lived, 
and  there  the  first  blow  was  struck.  In  his  confes 
sion,  just  before  his  execution,  Nat  said:  — 

"On  returning  to  the  house,  ILirk  went  to  the  door 

o 

with  an  axe,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  it  open,  as 
we  knew  we  were  strong  enough  to  murder  the  family 
should  they  be  awakened  by  the  noise;  but  reflecting 
that  it  might  create  an  alarm  in  the  neighborhood,  we 
determined  to  enter  the  house  secretly,  and  murder 
them  whilst  sleeping.  Hark  got  a  ladder  and  set  it 
against  the  chimney,  on  which  I  ascended,  and  hoist 
ing  a  window,  entered,  and  came  down-stairs,  unbarred 
the  doors,  and  removed  the  guns  from  their  places. 
It  was  then  observed  that  I  must  spill  the  first  blood. 
On  which,  armed  with  a  hatchet,  and  accompanied  by 
Will,  I  entered  my  master's  chamber.  It  being  dark, 
I  could  not  give  a  death-blow.  The  hatchet  glanced 
from  his  head;  he  sprang  from  the  bed  and  called  his 
wife.  It  was  his  last  word;  Will  laid  him  dead*with  a 
blow  of  his  axe,  and  Mrs.  Travis  shared  the  same  fate 
as  she  lay  in  bed.  The  murder  of  this  family,  five  in 
number,  was  the  work  of  a  moment;  not  one  of  them 
awoke.  There  was  a  little  infant  sleeping  in  a  cradle, 
that  was  forgotten  until  we  had  left  the  house  and  gone 
some  distance,  when  Henry  and  Will  returned  and 
killed  it.  We  <rot  here  four  guns  that  would  shoot,  and 

* — '  c^ 

several  old  muskets,  with  a  pound  or  two  of  powder. 


310  THE    KISING    SON. 

We  remained  for  some  time  at  the  barn,  where  we 
paraded;  I  formed  them  in  line  as  soldiers,  and  after 
carrying  them  through  all  the  manoeuvres  I  was  master 
of,  marched  them  off  to  Mr.  Salathiel  Francis's,  about 
six  hundred  yards  distant. 

"Sam  and  Will  went  to  the  door  and  knocked.  Mr. 
Francis  asked  who  was  there ;  Sam  replied  it  was  he  and 
he  had  a  letter  for  him ;  on  this  he  got  up  and  came  to 
the  door;  they  immediately  seized  him,  and  dragging 
him  out  a  little  from  the  door,  he  was  despatched  by 
repeated  blows  on  the  head.  There  was  no  other  white 
person  in  the  family.  We  started  from  there  to  Mrs. 
Reese's,  maintaining  the  most  perfect  silence  on  our 
march,  where,  finding  the  door  unlocked,  we  entered 
and  murdered  Mrs.  Reese  in  her  bed  while  sleeping; 
her  son  awoke,  but  only  to  sleep  the  sleep  of  death; 
he  had  only  time  to  say,  'Who  is  that?'  and  he  was 
no  more. 

From  Mrs.  Reese's  we  went  to  Mrs.  Turner's, 
a  mile  distant,  which  we  reached  about  sunrise,  on 
Monday  morning.  Henry,  Austin,  and  Sam,  went  to 
the  still,  where,  finding  Mr.  Peebles,  Austin  shot 
him;  the  rest  of  us  went  to  the  house.  As  we  ap 
proached,  the  family  discovered  us  and  shut  the  door. 
Vain  hope!  Will,  with  one  stroke  of  his  axe,  opened 
it,  and  we  entered,  and  found  Mrs.  Turner  and  Mrs. 
Newsome  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  almost  frightened 

'  O 

to  death.  Will  immediately  killed  Mrs.  Turner  with 
one  blow  of  his  axe.  I  took  Mrs.  Newsome  by  the 
hand,  and  with  the  sword  I  had  when  apprehended,  I 
struck  her  several  blows  over  the  head,  but  was  not 
able  to  kill  her,  as  the  sword  was  dull.  Will,  turning 
round  and  discovering  it,  despatched  her  also.  A 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  311 

general  destruction  of  property,  and  search  for  money 
and  ammunition,  always  succeeded  the  murders. 

"By  this  time,  my  company  amounted  to  fifteen, 
nine  men  mounted,  who  started  for  Mrs.  Whitehead's, 
(the  other  six  were  to  go  through  a  by-way  to  Mr. 
Bryant's,  and  rejoin  us  at  Mrs.  Whitehead's). 

"As  we  approached  the  house,  we  discovered  Mr. 
Richard  Whitehead  standing  in  the  cotton  patch,  near 
the  lane  fence;  ^e  called  him  over  into  the  lane,  and 
Will,  the  executioner,  was  near  at  hand,  with  his 
fatal  axe,  to  send  him  to  an  untimely  grave.  As  we 
pushed  on  to  the  house,  I  discovered  some  one  run 
ning  around  the  garden,  and  think  insr  it  was  some  of 

o  o  o 

the  white  family,  I  pursued;  but  finding  it  was  a  ser 
vant  girl  belonging  to  the  house,  I  returned  to  com 
mence  the  work  of  death;  but  they  whom  I  left  had 
not  been  idle;  all  the  family  were' already  murdered 
but  Mrs.  Whitehead  and  her  daughter  Margaret.  As  I 
came  round  to  the  door,  I  saw  Will  pulling  Mrs. 
Whitehead  out  of 'the  house,  and  at  the  step  he  nearly 
severed  her  head  from  her  body  with  his  broadaxe. 
Miss  Margaret,  when  I  discovered  her,  had  concealed 
herself  in  the  corner  formed  by  the  projection  of  the 
cellar  cap  from  the  house;  on  my  approach  she  fled, 
but  was  soon  overtaken,  and  after  repeated  blows  with 
a  sword,  I  killed  her  with  a  blow  over  the  head  with 
a  fence  rail.  By  this  time  the  six  who  had  gone  by 
Mr.  Bryant's  rejoined  us,  and  informed  me  they  had 
done  the  work  of  death  assigned  them. 

"We  again  divided,  part  going  to  Mr.  Richard 
Porter's,  and  from  thence  to  Nathaniel  Francis's,  the 
others  to  Mr.  Howell  Harris's  and  Mr.  T.  Doyles's. 
On  my  reaching  Mr.  Porter's,  he  had  escaped  with  his 


312  THE    RISING    SON. 

family.  I  understood  there  that  the  alarm  had  already 
spread,  and  I  immediately  returned  to  bring  up  those 
sent  to  Mr.  Doyles's  and  Mr.  Howell  Harris's;  the 
party  I  left  going  on  to  Mr.  Francis's,  having  told 
them  I  would  join  them  in  that  neighborhood.  I  met 
those  sent  to  Mr.  Doyle's  and  Mr.  Howell  Harris'? 
returning,  having  met  Mr.  Doyles  on  the  road  and 
killed  him. 

"Learning  from  some  who  joined  them  that  Mr. 
Harris  was  from  home,  I  immediately  pursued  the 
course  taken  by  the  party  gone  on  before;  but 
knowing  that  they  would  complete  the  work  of 
death  and  pillage  at  Mr.  Francis's  before  I  could  get 
there,  I  went  to  Mr.  Peter  Edwards's,  expecting  to 
find  them  there;  but  they  had  been  there  already.  I 
then  went  to  Mr.  John  T.  Barrows's;  they  had  been 
there  and  murdered  him.  I  pursued  on  their  track  to 
Captain  Newitt  Harris's.  I  found  the  greater  part 
mounted  and  ready  to  start;  the- men,  now  amounting 
to  about  forty,  shouted  and  hurrahed  as  I  rode  up; 
some  were  in  the  yard  loading  their  guns,  others 
drinking.  They  said  Captain  Harris  and  his  family 
had  escaped;  the  property  in  the  house  they  destroyed, 
robbing  him  of  money  and  other  valuables. 

"I  ordered  them  to  mount  and  march  instantly;  this 
was  about  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  Monday  morning.  I 
proceeded  to  Mr.  Levi  Waller's,  two  or  three  miles 
distant.  I  took  my  station  in  the  rear,  and  as  it  was 
my  object  to  carry  terror  and  devastation  wherever 
we  went,  I  placed  fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  best 
mounted  and  most  to  be  relied  on  in  front,  who  gen^ 
erally  approached  the  houses  as  fast  as  their  horses 
could  run.  This  was  for  two  purposes;  to  prevent 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  313 

tbcir  escape,  and  strike  terror  to  the  inhabitants.  On 
this  account  I  never  got  to  the  houses,  after  leaving 
Mrs.  Whitehead's,  until  the  murders  were  committed, 
except  in  one  case.  I  sometimes  got  in  sight  in  time 
to  see  the  work  of  death  completed,  view  the  man 
gled  bodies  as  they  lay,  in  silent  satisfaction,  and 
immediately  start  in  quest  of  other  victims.  Having 
murdered  Mrs.  Waller  and  ten  children,  we  started 
for  Mr.  William  Williams 's.  We  killed  him  and  two 
little  boys  that  were  there:  while  engaged  in  this, 
Mrs.  Williams  fled,  and  got  some  distance  from  the 
house;  but  she  was  pursued,  overtaken,  and  compelled 
to  get  up  behind  one  of  the  company,  who  brought 
her  back,  and  after  showing  her  the  mangled  body 
of  her  lifeless  husband,  she  was  told  to  get  down  and 
lie  by  his  side,  where  she  was  shot  dead. 

"I  then  started  for  Mr.  Jacob  Williams's,  where  the 
family  were  murdered.  Here  we  fouud  a  young  man 
named  Drury,  who  had  come  on  business  with  Mr. 
Williams;  he  was  pursued,  overtaken,  and  shot. 
Mrs.  Vaughan's  was  the  next  place  we  visited;  and 
after  murdering  the  family  here,  I  determined  on 
starting  for  Jerusalem.  Our  number  amounted  now  to 
fifty  or  sixty,  all  mounted  and  armed  with  guns, 
axes,  swords,  and  clubs.  On  reaching  Mr.  James 
W.  Parker's  gate,  immediately  on  the  road  leading 
to  Jerusalem,  and  about  three  miles  distant,  it  was 
proposed  to  me  to  call  there;  but  I  objected,  as  I 
knew  he  was  gone  to  Jerusalem,  and  my  object  was  to 
reach  there  as  soon  as  possible ;  but  some  of  the  men 
having  relations  at  Mr.  Parker's,  it  was  agreed  that 
they  might  call  and  get  his  people. 

"I  remained  at  the  gate  on  the  road,  with  seven  or 


314  THE  RISING    SON. 

eight,  the  others  going  across  the  field  to  the  house, 
about  half  a  mile  off.  After  waiting  some  time  for 
them,  I  became  impatient,  and  started  to  the  house 
for  them,  and  on  our  return  we  were  met  by  a  party 
of  white  men,  who  had  pursued  our  blood-stained 
track,  and  who  had  fired  on  those  at  the  gate,  and 
dispersed  them,  which  I  knew  nothing  of,  not  having 
been  at  that  time  rejoined  by  any  of  them.  Imme 
diately  on  discovering  the  whites,  I  ordered  my  men 
to  halt  and  form,  as  they  appeared  to  be  alarmed. 
The  white  men,  eighteen  in  number,  approached  us 
within  about  one  hundred  yards,  when  one  of  them 
fired,  and  I  discovered  about  half  of  them  retreating. 
I  then  ordered  my  men  to  fire  and  rush  on  them ;  the 
few  remaining  stood  their  ground  until  we  approached 
within  fifty  yards,  when  they  fired  and  retreated. 

We  pursued  and  overtook  some  of  them,  whom  we 
thought  we  left  dead;  after  pursuing  them  about  two 
hundred  yards,  and  rising  a  little  hill,  I  discovered 
they  were  met  by  another  party,  and  had  halted,  and 
were  reloading  their  guns,  thinking  that  those  who 
retreated  first,  and  the  party  who  fired  on  us  at  fifty 
or  sixty  yards  distant,  had  only  fallen  back  to  meet 
others  with  ammunition.  As  I  saw  them  reloading 
their  guns,  and  more  coming  up  than  I  saw  at  first, 
and  several  of  my  bravest  men  being  wounded,  the 
others  became  panic-stricken,  and  ^scattered  over  the 
field;  the  white  men  pursued  and  fired  on  us  several 
times.  Hark  had  his  horse  shot  under  him,  and  I 
caught  another  for  him  that  was  running  by  me;  five 
or  six  of  my  men  were  wounded,  but  none  left  on  the 
field.  Finding  myself  defeated  here,  I  instantly  deter 
mined  to  go  through  a  private  way,  and  cross  the 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  315 

Nottoway  Eiver  at  the  Cypress  Bridge,  three  miles 
below  Jerusalem,  and  attack  that  place  in  the  rear,  as 
I  expected  they  would  look  for  me  on  the  other  road, 
and  I  had  a  great  desire  to  get  there  to  procure  arms 
and  ammunition." 

Reinforcements  came  to  the  whites,  and  the  blacks 
were  overpowerd  and  defeated  by  the  superior  num 
bers  of  their  enemy.  In  this  battle  many  were  slain 
on  both  sides.  Will,  the  bloodthirsty  and  revengeful 
slave,  fell  with  his  broad-axe  uplifted,  after  having 
laid  three  of  the  whites  dead  at  his  feet  with  his  own 
strong  arm  and  his  terrible  weapon.  His  last  words 
were,  "Bury  my  axe  with  me;"  for  he  religiously 
believed  that  in  the  next  world  the  blacks  would  have 
a  contest  with  the  whites,  and  that  he  would  need  his 
axe.  Nat  Turner,  after  fighting  to  the  last  with  his 
short-sword,  escaped  with  some  others  to  the  woods 
near  by,  and  was  not  captured  for  nearly  two  mouths. 
He  had  aroused  the  entire  country  by  his  deeds,  and 
for  sixty  days  had  eluded  a  thousand  armed  men  on 
his  track.  When  taken,  although  half  starved,  and 
exhausted  by  fatigue,  like  a  fox  after  a  weary  chase, 
he  stood  erect  and  dignified,  proud  and  haughty,  amid 
his  captors,  his  sturdy,  compact  form,  marked  features, 
and  flashing  eye,  declaring  him  to  be  every  inch  a 
man. 

When  brought  to  trial,  he  pleaded  "not  guilty;" 
feeling,  as  he  said,  that  it  was  always  right  for  one  to 
strike  for  his  own  liberty.  After  going  through  a  mere 
form  of  trial,  he  was  convicted  and  executed  at  Jeru 
salem,  the  county  seat  for  Southampton  County, 
Virginia.  Not  a  limb  trembled  nor  a  muscle  was  ob 
served  to  move.  Thus  died  Nat  Turner,  at  the  early 


316  THE   RISING   SON. 

age  of  thirty-one  years — a  martyr  to  the  freedom  of 
his  race,  and  a  victim  to  his  own  fanaticism.  He 
meditated  upon  the  wrongs  of  his  oppressed  and  injured 
people,  till  the  idea  of  their  deliverance  excluded  all 
other  ideas  from  his  mind,  and  he  devoted  his  life  to 
its  realization.  Everything  appeared  to  him  a  vision, 
and  all  favorable  omens  were  signs  from  God.  That  he 
was  sincere  in  all  that  he  professed,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  doubt.  After  being  defeated,  he  might  have 
escaped  to  the  free  states,  but  the  hope  of  raising  a 
new  band  kept  him  from  doing  so. 

He  impressed  his  image  upon  the  minds  of  those,  who 
once  beheld  him.  His  looks,  his  sermons,  his  acts, 
and  his  heroism  live  in  the  hearts  of  his  race,  on  every 
cotton,  sugar,  and  rice  plantation  at  the  South.  The 
present  generation  of  slaves  have  a  superstitious  ven 
eration  for  his  name.  He  foretold  that  at  his  death 
the  sun  would  refuse  to.  shine,  and  that  there  would  be 
signs  of  disapprobation  given  from  Heaven.  And  it  is 
true  that  the  sun  was  darkened,  a  storm  gathered,  and 
more  boisterous  weather  had  never  appeared  in  South- 
hampton  County  than  on  the  day  of  Nat's  execution. 
The  sheriff,  warned  by  the  prisoner,  refused  to  cut  the 
cord  that  held  the  trap.  No  black  man  would  tou  li 
the  rope.  A  poor  old  white  man,  long  besotted  by 
drink,  was  brought  forty  miles  to  be  the  executioner. 
And  even  the  planters,  with  all  their  prejudice  and 
hatred,  believed  him  honest  and  sincere;  for  Mr. 
Gray,  who  had  known  Nat  from  boyhood,  and  to 
whom  he  made  his  confession,  says  of  him:  — 

"It  has  been  said  that  he  was  ignorant  and  cowardly, 
and  that  his  object  was  to  murder  and  rob,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  money  to  make  his  escape.  It 


DISCONTENT   AND   INSURRECTION.  317 

is  notorious  that  he  was  never  known  to  have  a  dollar 
in  his  life,  to  swear  an  oath,  or  drink  a  drop  of  spirits. 
As  to  his  ignorance,  he  certainly  never  had  the  advan 
tages  of  education;  but  he  can  read  and  write,  and 
for  natural  intelligence  and  quickness  of  apprehension, 
is  surpassed  by  few  men  I  have  ever  seen.  As  to  his 
being  a  coward,  his  reason,  as  given,  for  not  resisting 
Mr.  Phipps,  shows  the  decision  of  his  character.  When 
he  saw  Mr.  Phipps  present  his  gun,  he  said  he  knew 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  escape,  as  the  woods  were 
full  of  men;  he  therefore  thought  it  was  better  for  him 
to  surrender,  and  trust  to  fortune  for  his  escape. 

Ho  is  a  complete  fanatic,  or  plays  his  part  most  ad 
mirably.  Qn  other  subjects  he  possesses  an  uncommon 
share  of  intelligence,  with  a  mind  capable  of  attain 
ing  anything,  but  warped  and  perverted  by  the  influ 
ence  of  early  impressions.  He  is  below  the  ordinary 
stature,  though  strong  and  active,  having  the  true  negro 
face,  every  feature  of  which  is  strongly  marked.  I 
shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  effect  of  his  narrative, 
as  told  and  commented  on  by  himself,  in  the  condemned 
hole  of  the  prison;  the  calm,  deliberate  composure 
with  which  he  spoke  of  his  late  deeds  and  intentions; 
the  expression  of  his  fiend-like  face,  when  excited  by 
enthusiasm — still  bearing  the  stains  of  the  blood  of 
helpless  innocence  about  him,  clothed  with  rags  and 
covered  with  chains,  yet  daring  to  raise  his  manacled 
hands  to  Heaven,  with  a  spirit  soaring  above  the  attri 
butes  of  man ;  I  looked  on  him,  and  the  blood  curdled 
in  my  veins." 

Fifty-five  whites  and  seventy-three  blacks  lost  their 
Hves  in  the  Southampton  rebellion.  On  the  fatal 
*  tght  when  Nat  and  his  companions  were  dealing  death 


318  THE  RISING  SON. 

to  all  they  found,  Captain  Harris,  a  wealthy  planter, 
had  his  life  saved  by  the  devotion  and  timely  warning 
of  his  slave  Jim,  said  to  have  been  half-brother  to  his 
master.  After  the  revolt  had  been  put  down,  and  par 
ties  of  whites  were  out  hunting  the  suspected  blacks, 
Captain  Harris,  with  his  faithful  slave,  went  into  the 
.woods  in  search  of  the  negroes.  In  saving  his  master's 
life,  Jim  felt  that  he  had  done  his  duty,  and  could  not 
consent  to  become  a  betrayer  of  his  race ;  and  on  reach 
ing  the  woods,  he  handed  his  pistol  to  his  master,  and 
said,  "I  cannot  help  you  hunt  down  these  men;  they, 
like  myself,  want  to  be  free.  Sir,  I  am  tired  of  the 
life  of  a  slave;  please  give  me  my  freedom,  or  shoot 
me  on  the  spot."  Captain  Harris  took  the  weapon  and 
pointed  it  at  the  slave.  Jim,  putting  his  right  hand 
upon  his  heart,  said,  "This  is  the  spot;  aim  here.'* 
The  captain  fired,  and  the  slave  fejl  dead  at  his  feet. 


CHAPTEK  XXXVII.   . 

GROWING  OPPOSITION  TO  SLAVERY. 

THE  vast  increase  of  the  slave  population  in  the 
Southern  States,  and  their  frequent  insurrectionary  ef 
forts,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  whole  system  was 
in  direct  contradiction  to  the  sentiments  expressed  in 
the  declaration  of  American  independence,  was  fast 
creating  a  hatred  to  slavery. 

The  society  of  Friends,  the  first  to  raise  a  warning 
voice  against  the  sin  of  human  bondage,  had  nobly 
done  its  duty;  and  as  early  as  1789  had  petitioned 
Congress  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of  slavery. 

Previous  to  this,  however,  William  Beorling,  a 
Quaker,  of  Long  Island,  Ralph  Sandiford  of  Philadel 
phia,  Benjamin  Lay,  and  several  others  of  the  society 
of  Friends,  had  written  brave  words  in  behalf  of  negro 
freedom. 

Benjamin  Lundy,  also  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  commenced,  in  1821,  at  Baltimore,  the  pub 
lication  of  a  monthly  paper,  called  "The  Genius  of 
Universal  Emancipation."  This  journal  advocated 
gradual,  not  immediate  emancipation.  It  had,  how 
ever,  one  good  effect,  and  that  was,  to  attract  the  at- 

(319) 


320  THE  RISING  SOX. 

tention  of  William  Lloyd  Garrison  to  the  condition  of 
the  enslaved  ne^ro. 

<—s 

Out  of  this  interest  grew  "The  Liberator,"  which 
was  commenced  January  1,  1831,  at  Boston.  Two 
years  Inter,  the  American  Anti-slavery  Society  was 
organized  at  Philadelphia. 

After  setting  forth  the  causes  which  the  patriots  of 
the  American  Revolution  had  to  induce  them  to  throw 
off  the  British  yoke,  they  nobly  put  forth  the  claim 
of  the  slave  to  his  liberty. 

The  document  was  signed  by  sixty-four  persons, 
among  whom  was  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  John 
G.  Whittier. 

The  formation  of  the  American  Anti-slavery  Society 
created  considerable  excitement  at  the  time,  and  ex 
posed  its  authors  to  the  condemnation  of  the  servile 
pulpit  and  press  of  that  period.  Few,  however,  saw 
the  great  importance  of  such  a  work,  and  none  of  the 
movers  in  it  imagined  that  they  would  live  to  witness 
the  accomplishing  of  an  object  for  which  the  society 
was  brought  into  being. 

One  of  the  most  malignant  opposers  that  the  aboli 
tionists  had  to  meet,  in  their  commencement,  was  the 
American  Colonization  Society,  an  organization  which 
began  in  1817,  in  the  interest  of  the  slaveholders,  and 
whose  purpose  was  to  carry  off  to  Africa  the  free  col 
ored  people.  Garrison's  "Thoughts  on  African  Col 
onization/'  published  in  1832,  had  already  drawn  the 
teeth  of  this  enemy  of  the  Negro,  and  for  which  the 
society  turned  all  its  batteries  against  him. 

The  people  of  the  Southern  States  were  not  alone 
in  the  agitation,  for  the  question  had  found  its  way 
into  all  of  the  ramifications  of  society  in  the  North. 


GROWING   OPPOSITION   TO   SLAVERY.  321 

Miss  Prudence  Crandall,  about  this  time,  started  a 
school  for  colored  females,  in  Canterbury,  Connecticut, 
which  was  soon  broken  up,  and  Miss  Crandall  thrown 
into  prison. 

David  Walker,  a  colored  man,  residing  at  Boston, 
had  published  an  appeal  in  behalf  of  his  race,  filled 
with  enthusiasm,  and  well  calculated  to  arouse  the  ire 
of  the  pro-shivery  feeling  of  the  country. 

The  liberation  of  his  slaves,  by  James  G.  Binncy  of 
Kentucky,  and  his  letters  to  the  churches,  furnished 
fuel  to  the  agitating  flames. 

The  free  colored  people  of  the  North,  especially  in 
Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  were  alive  to 
their  own  interest,  and  were  yearly  holding  conven 
tions,  at  which  they  would  recount  their  grievances, 
and  press  their  claims  to  equal  rights  with  their  white 
fellow-citizens. 

At  these  meetings,  the  talent  exhibited,  the  able 
speeches  made,  and  the  strong  appeals  for  justice 
which  were  sent  forth,  did  very  much  to  raise  the 
blacks  in  the  estimation  of  the  whites  generally,  and 
gained  for  the  Negroes'  cause  additional  friends. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIH. 

MOB     LAW     TRIUMPHANT. 

Ix  the  year  1834,  mob  law  was  inaugurated  in  the 
free  states,  which  extended  into  the  years  1835-6  and  7. 

The  mobbing  of  the  friends  of  freedom  commenced 
in  Boston,  in  October,  1835,  with  an  attack  upon 
William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  the  ladies'  Anti-slavery 
Society.  This  mob,  made  up  as  it  was  by  "Gentle 
men  of  property  and  standing,"  and  from  whom  Mr. 
Garrison  had  to  be  taken  to  prison  to  save  his  life, 
has  become  disgracefully  historical. 

The  Boston  mob  was  followed  by  one  at  Utica,  New 
York,  headed  by  Judge  Beardsley,  who  broke  up  a 
meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Anti-slavery  Society. 
Arthur  Tappan's  store  was  attacked  by  a  mob  in  New 
York  City,  and  his  property  destroyed,  to  the  value  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars.  The  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy, 
a  brave  man  of  the  State  of  Maine,  had  located  at  St. 
Louis,  where  he  took  the  editorial  charge  of  "The 
St.  Louis  Times,"  and  in  its  columns  nobly  pleaded 
for  justice  to  the  enslaved  negro.  The  writer  of  this 
was  for  a  period  of  six  months  employed  in  the  of 
fice  of  "The  Times,"  and  knew  Mr.  Lovejoy  well.' 

(322) 


MOB   LAW   TRIUMPHANT.  323 

Driven  from  St.  Louis  by  mob  law,  he  removed  to 
Alton,  Illinois.  Here  the  spirit  of  slavery  followed 
him,  broke  up  his  printing-press,  threw  it  into  the 
river,  and  murdered  the  heroic  advocate  of  free  speech. 

Thus  this  good  man  died ;  but  his  death  raised  up 
new  and  strong  friends  for  the  oppressed.  Wendell 
Phillips  visited  the  grave  of  the  martyr  recently,  and 
gave  the  following  description  of  his  burial-place:  — 

"Lovejoy  lies  buried  now  in  the  city  cemetery,  on 
a  beautiful  knoll.  Near  by  rolls  the  great  river.  His 
resting-place  is  marked  by  an  oblong  stone,  perhaps 
thirty  inches  by  twenty,  and  rising  a  foot  above  the 
ground;  on  this  rests  a  marble  scroll  bearing  this  in 
scription  : 

Hie 

Jacet 

LOVEJOY. 

Jam  parce  sepulto. 

\_Here  lies  Lovejoy.     Spare  him,  now,  in  his  grave."] 

A  more  marked  testimonial  would  not,  probably, 
have  been  safe  from  ineult  and  disfigurement,  previ 
ous  to  1864.  He  fought  his  fight  so  far  in  the  van, 
so  much  in  the  hottest  of  the  battle,  that  not  till  after 
nigh  thirty  years  and  the  final  victory  could  even  his 
dust  be  sure  of  quiet. 

In  the  cities  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Albany, 
Utica,  and  many  other  places  in  the  free  states,  the 
colored  people  were  hunted  down  like  wild  beasts, 
and  their  property  taken  from  them  or  destroyed. 

In  the  two  first-named  places,  the  churches  and 
dwellings  of  these  unoffending  citizens  were  set  on 


324  THE    RISING   SON. 

fire  in  open  day,  and  burnt  to  ashes  without  any  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  authorities  to  prevent  it. 

Even  the  wives  and  children  of  the  colored  men 
were  stoned  in  the  streets,  and  the  school-houses 
sought  out,  their  inmates  driven  away,  and  many  of 
the  children  with  their  parents  had  to  flee  to  the  coun 
try  for  safety. 

Such  was  the  feeling  of  hate  brought  out  in  the 
North  by  the  influence  of  slavery  at  the  South. 

During  this  reign  of  terror  among  the  colored  peo 
ple  in  the  free  states,  their  brethren  in  slavery  were 
also  suffering  martyrdom.  Free  blacks  were  arrested, 
thrown  into  jail,  scourged  in  their  own  houses,  and  if 
they  made  the  slightest  resistance,  were  shot  down, 
hung  at  a  lamp-post,  or  even  burnt  at  the  stake. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

HEROISM   AT  SEA. 

IN  the  month  of  August,  1839,  there  appeared  in 
the  newspapers  a  shocking  story: — that  a  schooner, 
going  coastwise  from  Havana  to  Neuvitas,  in  the 
Island  of  Cuba,  early  in  July,  with  about  twenty  white 
passengers,  and  a  large  number  of  slaves,  had  been 
seized  by  the  slaves  in  the  night  time,  and  the  pas 
sengers  and  crew  all  murdered  except  two,  who  made 
their  escape  to  land  in  an  open  boat.  About  the  20th 
of  the  same  month,  a  strange  craft  was  seen  repeatedly 
'on  our  coast,  which  was  believed  to  be  the  captured 
Spanish  coaster,  in  the  possession  of  the  negroes.  She 
was  spoken  by  several  pilot-boats  and  other  vessels, 
and  partially  supplied  with  water,  of  which  she  was 
very  much  in  want.  It  was  also  said  that  the  blacks 
appeared  to  have  a  great  deal  of  money.  The  custom 
house  department  and  the  officers  of  the  navy  were  in 
stantly  aroused  to  go  in  pursuit  of  the  * 'pirates/'  as 
the  unknown  possessors  of  the  schooner  were  sponta 
neously  called.  The  United  States  steamer  Fulton, 
and  several  revenue  cutters  were  dispatched,  and  no 
tice  given  to  the  collectors  at  the  various  seaports. 

(325) 


326  THE  RISING   SON. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  the  "mysterious  schooner" 
was  near  the  shore  at  Culloden  Point,  on  the  east  end 
of  Long  Island,  where  a  part  of  the  crew  came  on  shore 
for  water  and  fresh  provisions,  for  which  they  paid 
with  undiscriminating  profuseness.  Here  they  were 
met  by  Captain  Green  and  another  gentleman,  who 
stated  that  they  had  in  their  possession  a  large  box 
filled  with  gold.  Shortly  after,  on  the  26th,  the  ves 
sel  was  espied  by  Captain  Gedney,  U.  S.  N.,  in  com 
mand  of  the  brig  Washington,  employed  on  the  coast 
survey,  who  despatched  an  officer  to  board  her.  The 
officer  found  a  large  number  of  negroes,  and  two 
Spaniards,  Pedro  Montez  and  Jose  Ruiz,  one  of  whom 
immediately  announced  himself  as  the  owner  of  the 
negroes,  and  claimed  his  protection.  The  schooner  was 
thereupon  taken  possession  of  by  Captain  Gedney. 

The  leader  of  the  blacks  was  pointed  out  by  the 
Spaniards,  and  his  name  given  as  Joseph  Cinque.  He 
was  a  native  of  Africa,  and  one  of  the  finest  speci 
mens  of  his  race  ever  seen  in  this  country.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  that  the  vessel  was  in  the  hands  of  others, 
and  all  hope  of  his  taking  himself  and  countrymen 
back  to  their  home  land  at  an  end,  he  leaped  over 
board  with  the  agility  of  an  antelope.  The  small  boat 
was  immediately  sent  after  him,  and  for  two  hours 
did  the  sailors  strive  to  capture  him  before  they  suc 
ceeded.  Cinque  swam  and  dived  like  an  otter,  first 
upon  his  back,  then  upon  his  breast,  sometimes  his 
head  out  of  water,  and  sometimes  his  heels  out.  His 
countrymen  on  board  the  captured  schooner  seemed 
much  amused  at  the  chase,  for  they  knew  Cinque  well, 
and  felt  proud  of  the  untamableness  of  his  nature. 
After  baffling  them  for  a  time,  he  swam  towards  the 


HEROISM   AT   SEA.  327 

vessel,  was  taken  on  board,  and  secured  with  the  rest 
of  the  blacks,  and  they  were  taken  into  New  London, 
Connecticut. 

The  schooner  proved  to  be  the  Amistad,  Captain 
Ramon  Ferrer,  from  Havana,  bound  to  Principe,  about 
one  hundred  leagues  distant,  with  fifty-four  negroes 
held  as  slaves,  and  two  passengers.  The  Spaniards 
said,  that  after  being  out  four  days,  the  negroes  rose 
in  the  night  and  killed  the  captain  and  a  mulatto 
cook;  that  the  helmsman  and  another  sailor  took  to  * 
the  boat  and  went  on  shore;  that  the  only  two  whites 
remaining  were  the  said  passengers,  Montez  and  Ruiz, 
who  were  confined  below  until  morning;  that  Montez 
the  elder,  who  had  been  a  sea-captain,  was  required  to 
steer  the  ship  for  Africa;  that  he  steered  easterly  in 
the  day-time,  because  the  negroes  could  tell  his  course 
by  the  sun,  but  put  the  vessel  about  in  the  nigUt. 
They  boxed  about  some  days  in  the  Bahama  Channel, 
and  were  several  times  near  the  Islands,  but  the 
negroes  would  not  allow  her  to  enter  any  port.  Once 
they  were  near  Long  Island,  but  then  put  out  to  sea 
again,  the  Spaniards  all  the  while  hoping  they  might 
fall  in  with  some  ship  of  war  that  would  rescue  them 
from  their  awkward  situation.  One  of  the  Spaniards 
testified  that  when  the  rising  took  place,  he  was 
awaked  by  the  noise,  and  that  he  heard  the  captain 
order  the  cabin  boy  to  get  some  bread  and  throw  it  to 
the  negroes,  in  hope  to  pacify  them.  Cinque,  how 
ever,  the  leader  of  the  revolt,  leaped  on  deck,  seized 
'a  capstan  bar,  and  attacked  the  captain,  whom  he  killed 
at  a  single  blow,  and  took  charge  of  the  vessel;  his 
authority  being  acknowledged  by  his  companions,  who 
knew  him  as  a  prince  in  his  native  laud. 


328  THE    RISING    SON. 

After  a  long  litigation  in  the  courts,  the  slaves  were 
liberated  and  sent  back  to  their  native  land. 

In  the  following  year,  1840,  the  brig  Creole,  laden 
with  slaves,  sailed  from  Richmond,  bound  for  New 
Orleans;  the  slaves  mutinied,  took  the  vessel,  and  car 
ried  her  into  the  British  West  Indies,  and  thereby 
became  free.  The  hero  on  this  occasion  was  Madison 
Washington. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  IRON  AGE. 

THE  resolute  and  determined  purpose  of  the  South 
erners  to  make  the  institution  of  slavery  national, 
and  the  equally  powerful  growing  public  sentiment  at 
the  North  to  make  freedom  universal,  showed  plainly 
that  the  nation  was  fast  approaching  a  crisis  on  this 
absorbing  question.  In  Congress,  men  were  compelled 
to  take  either  the  one  or  the  other  side,  and  the 
debates  became  more  fiery,  as  the  subject  progressed. 

John  P.  Hale  led  in  the  Semite,  while  Joshua  R. 
Gi  del  ings  was  the  acknowledged  leader  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  behalf  of  freedom.  On  the  part 
of  slavery,  the  leadership  in  the  Senate  lay  between 
Foot  of  Mississippi,  and  McDuffie  of  South  Carolina; 
while  Henry  A.  Wise,  followed  by  a  ravenous  pack 
watched  over  the  interest  of  the  "peculiar  institution" 
in  the  House. 

The  early  adoption  of  the  famous  "Gag  Law,*' 
whereby  all  petitions  on  the  subject  of  slavery  were  to 
be  "tabled"  without  discussion,  instead  of  helping 
the  Southern  cause,  brought  its  abettors  into  contempt. 

(329) 


330  THE    RISING    SON. 

Ill  the  House,  Mr.  Gicl climbs  was  censured  for  offering 

7  O  O 

resolutions  in  regard  to  the  capture  of  the  brig  Creole. 

Mr.  Giddings  resigned,  went  home,  was  at  once  re- 
elected,  and  returned  to  Congress  to  renew  the  contest. 
An  attempt  to  expel  John  Quincy  Adams,  for  present 
ing  a  petition  from  a  number  of  persons  held  in  slav 
ery,  was  a  failure,  and  from  which  the  friends  of  the 
negro  took  fresh  courage. 

In  the  South,  the  Legislatures  were  enacting  laws 
abridging  the  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press,  and 
making  it  more  difficult  for  Northerners  to  travel  in 
the  slave  states.  Rev.  .Charles  T.  Torry  was  in  the 
Maryland  Penitentiary  for  aiding  slaves  to  escape,  and 
Jonathan  Walker  had  been  branded  with  a  red-hot 
iron,  and  sent  home  for  the  same  offence.  The  free 
colored  people  of  the  South  were  being  persecuted 
in  a  manner  hitherto  unknown  in  that  section.  Amid 
all  these  scenes,  there  was  a  moral  contest  going  on 
at  the  North.  The  Garrison  abolitionists,  whose  head 
quarters  were  in  Boston,  were  at  work  with  a  zeal 
which  has  scarcely  ever  been  equalled  by  any  associ 
ation  of  men  and  women. 

"The  Liberator,"  Mr.  Garrison's  own  paper,  led  the 
vanguard;  while  the  "National  Anti-slavery  Stand 
ard,"  edited  at  times  by  Oliver  Johnson,  Lydia  Maria 
Child,  David  Lee  Child,  and  Sydney  Howard  Gay, 
gave  no  uncertain  sound  on  the  slavery  question. 

The  ladies  connected  with  this  society,  headed  by 
Maria  Western  Chapman,  held  an  annual  fair,  and  raised 
funds  for  the  prosecution  of  the  work  of  changing  pub 
lic  sentiment,  and  otherwise  aiding  the  anti-slavery 
movement.  Lecturing  agents  were  kept  in  the  field 
the  year  round,  or  as  far  as  their  means  would  permit. 


THE    IKON   AGE.  331 

A  few  clergymen  had  already  taken  ground  against  the 
blood-stained  sin,  and  were  singled  out  by  both  pulpit 
and  press,  as  marks  for  their  poisoned  arrows.  The 
ablest  and  most  ultra  of  these,  was  Theodore  Parker, 
the  singularly  gifted  and  truly  eloquent  preacher  of  the 
28th  Congregational  Society  of  Boston.  Thomas 
Wentwcrth  Higginson,  though  younger  and  later  in  the 
cause,  was  equally  true,  and  was  amongst  the  first  to 
invite  anti-slavery  lecturers  to  his  pulpit.  The  writer 
of  this,  a  negro,  at  his  invitation  occupied  his  desk 
at  Newburyport,  when  it  cost  something  to  be  an  abo 
litionist. 

Brave  men  of  other  denominations,  in  different  sec 
tions  of  the  country,  were  fast  taking  their  stand  with 
the  friends  of  the  slave. 

The  battle  in  Congress  was  raging  hotter  and  hotter. 
The  Florida  war,  the  admission  of  Texas,  and  the  war 
against  Mexico,  had  given  the  slaveholders  a  bold 
front,  and  they  wielded  the  political  lash  without  the 
least  mercy  or  discretion  upon  all  who  offended  them. 
Greater  protection  for  slave  property  in  the  free  states 
was  demanded  by  those  who  saw  their  human  chattels 
escaping. 

The  law  of  1793,  for  the  recapture  of  fugitive  slaves, 
was  now  insufficient  for  the  great  change  in  public 
opinion,  and  another  code  was  asked  for  by  the  South. 
On  the  18th  of  September,  1850,  the  Fugitive  Slave 
Bill  was  passed,  and  became  the  law  of  the  land. 

This  was  justly  condemned  by  good  men  of  all 
countries,  as  the  most  atrocious  enactment  ever  passed 
by  any  legislative  body.  The  four  hundred  thousand 
free  colored  residents  in  the  non  slave-holding  states, 


332  THE    RISING    SON. 

were  liable  at  any  time  to  be  seized  under  this  law 
and  carried  into  servitude. 

Intense  excitement  was  created  in  every  section  of 
the  free  states  where  any  considerable  number  of  col 
ored  persons  resided.  In  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and 
Ohio,  where  there  were  many  fugutives  and  descend 
ants  of  former  slaves,  the  feeling  rose  to  fever-heat. 
Every  railroad  leading  toward  Canada  was  thronged 
with  blacks  fleeing  for  safety.  In  one  town  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  every  member  of  a  Methodist 
Church,  eighty -two  in  number,  including  the  pastor, 
fled  to  Canada. 

The  passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  was  a  sad 
event  to  the  colored  citizens  of  this  State.  At  that 
time  there  were  eight  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sev 
enty-five  persons  of  color  in  Massachusetts.  In  thirty- 
six  hours  after  the  passage  of  the  bill  was  known  here, 
five  and  thirty  colored  persons  applied  to  a  well- 
known  philanthropist  in  this  city  for  counsel.  Before 
sixty  hours  passed  by,  more  than  forty  had  fled.  The 
laws  of  Massachusetts  could  not  be  trusted  to  shelter 
her  own  children;  they  must  flee  to  Canada.* 

Numbers  of  these  fugitives  had  escaped  many  years 
before,  had  married  free  partners,  had  acquired  prop 
erty,  and  had  comfortable  homes;  these  were  broken 
up  and  their  members  scattered.  Soon  after  the  law 
went  into  force,  the  kidnappers  made  their  appearance 
in  Boston. 

The  fact  that  men-stealers  were  prowling  about  the 
streets,  through  which,  eighty  years  before,  the  ene 
mies  of  liberty  had  been  chased,  caused  no  little  sen- 

*  "Rendition  of  Thomas  Simms."  Theodore  Parker,  p. 
20,  1852. 


THE    IRON   AGE.  333 

sation  amongst  all  classes,  and  when  it  was  understood 
that  William  Craft  and  his  beautiful  quadroon  wife 
were  the  intended  victims,  the  excitement  increased 
fearfully.  These  two  persons  had  escaped  from  Macon, 
in  the  State  of  Georgia,  a  year  and  a  half  before.  The 
man  was  of  unmixed  negro,  the  woman,  nearly  white. 
Their  mode  of  escape  was  novel.  The  wife,  attired  as 
a  gentleman,  attended  by  her  husband  as  a  slave,  took 
the  train  for  the  North,  and  arrived  in  Philadelphia, 
after  a  journey  of  two  days;  part  of  which  was  made, 
on  steamboats.  The  writer  was  in  the  Quaker  City 
at  the  time  of  their  arrival,  and  was  among  the  first 
to  greet  them.  Many  exciting  incidents  occurred  dur 
ing  the  passage  to  the  laud  of  freedom,  which  gave 
considerable  notoriety  to  the  particular  case  of  the 
Crafts,  and  the  slave-catchers  were  soon  marked  men. 

After  many  fruitless  attempts  to  have  the  fugitives 
arrested,  Hughs  and  his  companions  returned  to  the 
South ;  while  Craft  and  his  wife  fled  to  England. 

Boston  was  not  alone  in  her  commotion ;  Daniel  had 
been  arrested  at  Buffalo,  and  taken  before  Henry  K. 
Smith,  a  drunken  commissioner,  and  remanded  to  his 
claimant;  Hamlet  was  captured  by  the  kidnappers  in 
New  York  city,  and  Jerry  was  making  his  name  fa 
mous  by  his  arrest  at  Syracuse,  in  the  same  state. 

The  telegrams  announcing  these  events  filled  the 
hearts  of  the  blacks  with  sad  emotions,  and  told  the 
slave-holders  that  the  law  could  be  executed.  News 
soon  came  from  Ohio,  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  other 
states,  of  the  arrest  and  rendition  of  persons  claimed  as 
slaves,  many  of  whom  were  proven  to  be  free-born. 
Boston  was  not  permitted  to  remain  long  ere  she  again 
witnessed  the  reappearance  of  the  negro-catcher. 


334  THE    RISING    SON. 

A  colored  man  named  Sliadrach  was  claimed  as  a 
slave;  he  was  arrested,  put  in  prison,  and  the  kidnap 
pers  felt  that  for  once  they  had  a  sure  thing.  Boston, 
however,  was  a  strange  place  for  a  human  being  to  he 
in  a  dungeon  for  wanting  to  be  free;  and  Sliadrach  was 
spirited  away  to  Canada,  no  one  knew  how.  The  men 
of  Boston  who  traded  largely  with  the  South,  felt  that 
their  city  was  in  disgrace  in  not  being  able  to  execute 
the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill,  and  many  of  them  wished 
heartily  for  another  opportunity. 

So,  on  the  night  of  the  third  of  April,  1851,  Thomas 
Simms  was  arrested,  and  after  a  trial  which  became 
historical,  was  sent  back  into  slavery,  to  the  utter  dis 
grace  of  all  concerned  in  his  return. 

w 

Next  came  the  rendition  of  Anthony  Burns,  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  who  was  arrested  at  the  instance  of  Charles 
F.  Suttle,  of  Virginia.  The  commissioner  before  whom 
the  case  was  tried  was  Ellis  Greely  Loring.  This 
trial  excited  even  more  commotion  than  did  the  return 
of  Simms.  A  preacher  in  fetters  because  he  wanted 
to  be  free  was  a  new  thing  to  the  people  of  Boston. 

During  the  progress  of  the  hearing,  the  feeling  ex 
tended  to  the  country  towns,  and  nearly  every  train 
coming  in  brought  large  numbers  of  persons  anxious 
to  behold  the  new  order  of  things.  To  guard  against 
the  possibility  of  a  rescue,  the  building  in  which  the 
commissioner  did  his  work  was  in  chains.  Burns  was 
delivered  to  Suttle,  and  the  Union  was  once  more  safe. 

The  Boston  Court  House  in  chains,  two  hundred 
rowdies  and  thieves  sworn  in  as  special  policemen, 
respectable  citizens  shoved  off  the  sidewalks  by  these 
slave-catchers,  all  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  "our 
brethren  of  the  South." 


THE    IKON    AGE.  335 

But  this  act  did  not  appease  the  feelings  or  satisfy 
the  demands  of  the  slave-holders,  while  it  still  further 
inflamed  the  fire  of  abolitionism. 

The  "Dred  Scott  Decision"  added  fresh  combusti 
bles  to  the  smouldering  heap.  Dred  Scott,  a  slave, 
taken  by  his  master  into  free  Illinois,  and  then  beyond 
the  line  of  thirty-six  degrees  thirty  minutes,  and  then 
back  into  Missouri,  sued  for  and  obtained  his  freedom, 
on  the  ground  that  having  been  taken  where,  by  the 
Constitution,  slavery  was  illegal,  his  master  lost  all 
claim. 

But  the  Supreme  Court,  on  appeal,  reversed  the 
judgment,  and  Dred  Scott,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
was  taken  back  into  slavery. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

RELIGIOUS  STRUGGLES. 

CASTE,  the  natural  product  of  slavery,  did  not  stop 
at  the  door  of  the  sanctuary,  as  might  be  presumed  that 
it  would,  but  entered  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  Christian 
denominations  of  our  country,  and  in  some  instances 
even  pursued  the  negro  to  the  sacramental  altar.  All 
churches  had- their  * 'Negro-pew,"  where  there  were  a:  y 
blacks  to  put  into  them.  This  was  the  custom  at  the 
South,  and  it  was  the  same  at  the  North. 

As  the  religion  of  the  country  was  fashioned  to  suit 
the  public  sentiment,  which  was  negro-hating  in  its 
character,  the  blacks  of  the  United  States  would  have 
formed  a  poor  idea  of  the  Christian  religion  in  its 
broadest  sense,  had  not  an  inward  monitor  told  them 
that  there  was  still  something  better. 

The  first  step  towards  the  enjoyment  of  religious 
freedom  was  taken  by  the  colored  people  of  Philadel 
phia.  This  was  caused  by  the  unkind  treatment  of 
their  white  brethren,  who  considered  them  a  nuisance 
in  their  houses  of  worship,  where  they  were  pulled  off 
their  knees  while  in  the  act  of  prayer,  and  ordered  to 
the  back  scats.  From  these  and  other  acts  of  uuchris- 

(336) 


RELIGIOUS    STRUGGLES.  337 

tian  conduct,  the  blacks  considered  it  their  duty  to 
devise  means  of  having  a  house  for  religious  worship, 
of  their  own.  Therefore,  in  November,  1787,  they 
seceded  from  the  Methodist  Church,  in  Philadelphia, 
formed  a  society,  built  a  house  to  meet  in,  and  set  up 
for  themselves. 

Although  the  whites  considered  the  blacks  as  in 
truders  in  their  churches,  they  were,  nevertheless, 
unwilling  to  allow  them  to  worship  by  themselves, 
unless  they  should  have  the  privilege  of  furnishing 
their  sable  brethren  with  preachers.  The  whites  de 
nied  the  blacks  the  right  of  taking  the  name  of  Meth 
odist  without  their  consent,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to 
force  their  white  preachers  into  the  pulpits  of  the 
colored  people  on  Sundays.  The  law,  however,  had 
more  justice  in  it  than  the  Gospel;  and  it  stepped  in 
•between  the  blacks  and  their  religious  persecutors,  and 
set  the  former  free. 

In  1793,  Rev.  Richard  Allen  built  a  church  for  his 
people  in  Philadelphia,  and  henceforth  their  religious 
progress  was  marvellous.  In  1816,  Richard  Allen  was 
ordained  Bishop  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  Morris  Brown  was  ordained  a  bishop  in 
1828;  Edward  Waters  in  1836;  and  William  P.  Quinn 
in  1844.  These  were  known  as  the  Bethel  Methodists. 
About  the  same  time,  the  colored  Christians  of  New 
York,  feeling  the  pressure  of  caste,  which  weighed 
heavily  upon  them,  began  to  sigh  for  the  freedom 
enjoyed  by  their  brethren  in  the  City  of  Brotherly 
Love;  and  in  1796,  under  the  lead  of  Francis  Jacobs, 
William  Brown,  and  William  Miller,  separated  from 
their  white  brethren,  and  formed  a  church,  now  known 
as  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion  Church.  This 
22 


338  THE  RISING  SOX. 

branch  of  seceders  equalled  in  prosperity  their  brethren 
in  Philadelphia. 

The  first  annual  conference  of  these  churches  was 
held  hi  the  city  of  Baltimore,  in  April,  1818.  The 
example  set  by  the  colored  ministers  of  Philadelphia 
and  New  York  was  soon  followed  by  their  race  in 
Baltimore,  Richmond,  Boston,  Providence,  and  other 
places.  These  independent  religious  movements  were 
not  confined  to  the  sect  known  us  Methodists,  but 
the  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  and  Episcopalians  were 
permitted  to  set  up  housekeeping  for  themselves. 

The  Episcopalians,  however,  in  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  had  to  suffer  much,  for  they  were  com«- 
pelled  to  listen  to  the  preacher  on  Sunday  who  would 
not  recognize  them  on  Monday.  The  settlement  of  the 
Kevs.  Peter  "Williams  at  New  York,  and  William 
Douglass  at  Philadelphia,  seemed  to  open  a  new  era  to 
the  blacks  in  those  cities,  and  the  eloquence  of  these 
two  divines  gave  the  members  of  that  sect  more  liberty 
throughout  the  country.  In  the  Southern  States,  the 
religious  liberty  of  tbe  blacks  was  curtailed  far  more 
than  at  the  North.  The  stringent  slave-law,  which 
punished  the  negro  for  being  found  outside  of  his 
master's  premises  after  a  certain  time  at  night,  was 
construed  so  as  to  apply  to  him  in  his  going  to  and 
from  the  house  of  God;  and  the  poor  victim  was  often 
flogged  for  having  been  found  out  late,  while  he  was 
on  his  way  home  from  church. 

These  laws  applied  as  well  to  the  free  blacks  as  to 
the  slaves,  and  frequently  the  educated  colored  preacher 
had  his  back  lacerated  with  the  "cat-o '-nine-tails" 
within  an  hour  of  his  leaving  the  pulpit. 

In   all   of  the    slave  states  laws  were  early  enacted 


RELIGIOUS    STEUGGL7:S.  339 

regulating;  the  religious  movements  of  the  blacks,  and 

O  CD  O 

providing  that  no  slave  or  free  coloied  person  should 
be  allowed  to  preach.  The  assembling  of  blacks  for 
religious  worship  was  prohibited,  unless  three  or  more 
white  persons  were  present. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

JOHN  BROWN'S  RAID  ON  HARPER'S  FERRY. 

THE  year  1859  will  long  be  memorable  for  the  bold 
attempt  of  John  Brown  and  his  companions  to  burst 
the  bolted  door  of  the  Southern  house  of  bondage, 
and  lead  out  the  captives  by  a  more  effectual  way  than 
they  had  yet  known;  an  attempt  in  which,  it  is  true, 
the  little  band  of  heroes  clashed  themselves  to  bloody 
death,  but,  at  the  same  time,  shook  the  prison  walls 
from  summit  to  foundation,  and  shot  wild  alarm  into 
every  tyrant  heart  in  all  the  slave-knd.  What  were 
the  plans  and  purposes  of  the  noble  old  man  is  not 
precisely  known,  and  perhaps  will  never  be;  but 
whatever  they  were,  there  is  reason  to  believe  they 
had  been  long  maturing, — brooded  over  silently  and 
secretly,  with  much  earnest  thought,  and  under  a 
solemn  sense  of  religious  duty. 

Of  the  five  colored  men  who  were  with  the  hero 
at  the  attack  on  Harper's  Ferry,  only  two,  Shields 
Green  and  John  A.  Copeland,  were  captured  alive. 
The  first  of  these  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina, 
having  been  born  in  the  city  of  Charleston,  in  the 
year  1832.  Escaping  to  the  North  in  1857,  he  re- 

(340) 


JOHN  BROWN'S  RAID  ON  HARPER'S  FERRY.     341 

sided  in  Rochester,  New  York,  until  attracted  by  the 
unadorned  eloquence  and  native  magnetism  of  John 
Brown. 

Shields  Green  was  of  unmixed  blood,  good  counte 
nance,  bright  eye,  and  small  in  figure.  One  of  his 
companions  in  the  Harper's  Ferry  fight,  says  of 
Green,  "He  was  the  most  inexorable  of  all  our  party; 
a  very  Turco  in  his  hatred  against  the  stealers  of  men. 
Wiser  and  better  men  no  doubt  there  were,  but  a 
braver  man  never  lived  than  Shields  Green."  * 

He  behaved  with  becoming  coolness  and  heroism  at 
his  execution,  ascending  the  scaffold  with  a  firm,  un 
wavering  step,  and  died  as  he  had  lived,  a  brave  man, 
expressing  to  the  last  his  eternal  hatred  to  human 
bondage,  prophesying  that  slavery  would  soon  come 
to  a  bloody  end. 

John  A.  Copeland  was  from  North  Carolina,  and 
was  a  mulatto  of  superior  abilities,  and  a  genuine  lover 
of  liberty  and  justice.  He  died  as  became  one  who 
had  linked  his  fate  with  that  of  the  hero  of  Harper's 
Ferry. 

*  "A  Voice  from  Harper's  Ferry."    O.  P.  Anderson. 


CHAPTER  XLHI. 

« 

LOYALTY  AND  BRAVERY  OF  THE  BLACKS. 

THE  assault  on  Fort  Sumter  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1861,  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  for  the  Negro.  The 
proclamation  of  President  Lincoln,  calling  for  the  first 
seventy-five  thousand  men  to  put  down  the  Rebellion, 
was  responded  to  by  the  colored  people  throughout  the 
country.  In  Boston,  at  a  public  meeting  of  the  blacks 
a  large  number  came  forward,  put  their  names  to  an 
agreement  to  form  a  brigade,  and  march  at  once  to 
the  seat  of  war.  A  committee  waited  on  the  Governor 
three  days  later,  and  offered  the  services  of  these  men. 
His  Excellency  replied  that  he  had  no  power  to  receive 
them.  This  was  the  first  wet  blanket  thrown  over  the 
negro's  enthusiasm.  "This  is  a  white  man's  war," 
said  most  of  the  public  journals.  "I  will  never  fight 
by  the  side  of  a  nigger,"  was  heard  in  every  quarter 
where  men  were  seen  in  Uncle  Sam's  uniform. 

Wherever  recruiting  offices  were  opened,  black  men 
offered  themselves,  and  were  -rejected.  Yet  these 
people,  feeling  conscious  that  right  would  eventually 
prevail,  waited  patiently  for  the  coining  time,  pledging 
themselves  to  go  at  their  country's  call. 

(342) 


LOYALTY  AND  BRAVERY  OF  THE  BLACKS.    343 

"While  the  country  seemed  drifting  to  destruction, 
and  the  administration  without  a  policy,  the  heart  of 
every  loyal  man  was  made  glad  by  the  appearance  of 
the  proclamation  of  Major-General  John  C.  Fremont, 
then  in  command  at  the  West.  The  following  extract 
from  that  document,  which  at  the  time  caused  so  much 
discussion,  will  bear  insertion  here:  — 

"All  persons  who  shall  be  taken  with  arms  in  their 
hands  within  these  lines,  shall  be  tried  by  court- 
martial;  and  if  found  guilty,  will  be  shot.  The 
property,  real  and  personal,  of  all  persons  in  the  State 
of  Missouri,  who  shall  take  up  arms  against  the  United 
States,  or  who  shall  be  directly  proven  to  have  taken 
active  part  with  Iheir  enemies  in  the  field,  is  declared 
to  be  confiscated  to  the  public  use,  and  their  slaves,  if 
any  they  have,  are  hereby  declared  free  men." 

The  above  was  the  first  official  paper  issued  after  the 
commencement  of  the  war,  that  appeared  to  have  the 
riii 3  of  the  right  kind  of  mettle. 

o  o 

Without  waiting  for  instructions  from  the  capital, 
General  Fremont  caused  manumission  papers  to  be 
issued  to  a  number  of  slaves,  commencing  with  those 
owned  by  Thomas  L.  Snead,  of  St.  Louis.  This  step 
taken  by  the  brave  Fremont  was  followed  by  a  similar 
movement  of  General  Hunter,  then  stationed  in  South 
Carolina.  President  Lincoln,  however,  was  persuaded 
to  annul  both  of  the  above  orders. 

In  the  mouth  of  June,  1861,  the  schooner  S.  J. 
Waring,  from  New  York,  bound  to  South  America, 
was  captured  on  the  passage  by  the  rebel  privateer  Jeff 
Davis,  a  prize-crew  put  on  board,  consisting  of  a 
captain,  mate,  and  four  seamen,  and  the  vessel  set  sail 
for  the  port  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  Three  of 


344  THE    RI.SING    SOX. 

the  original  crew  were  retained  on  board,  a  German  as 
steersman,  a  Yankee,  wrho  was  put  in  irons,  and  a  black 
man  named  William  Tillinan,  the  steward  and  cook  of 
the  schooner.  The  latter  was  put  to  work  at  his  usual 
business,  and  told  that  he  was  henceforth  the  property 
of  the  Confederate  States,  and  would  be  sold  on  his 
arrival  at  Charleston  as  a  slave. 

Night  comes  on;  darkness  covers  the  sea;  the  vessel 
is  gliding  swiftly  towards  the  South;  the  rebels,  one 
after  another,  retire  to  their  berths ;  the  hour  of  mid 
night  approaches;  all  is  silent  in  the  cabin;  the  captain 
is  asleep;  the  mate,  who  has  charge  of  the  watch,  takes 
his  brandy  toddy,  and  reclines  upon  the  quarter-deck. 
The  negro  thinks  of  home  and  all  its  endearments;  he 
sees  in  the  dim  future  chains  and  slavery. 

He  resolves,  and  determines  to  put  the  resolution 
into  practice  upon  the  instant.  Armed  with  a  heavy 
club,  he  proceeds  to  the  captain's  room.  He  strikes 
the  fatal  blow.  He  next  goes  to  the  adjoining  room; 
another  blow  is  struck,  and  the  black  man  is  master  of 
the  cabin.  Cautiously  he  ascends  to  the  deck,  strikes  the 
mate.  The  officer  is  Bounded,  but  not  killed.  Ho 
draws  his  revolver,  and  calls  for  help.  The  crew  are 
aroused ;  .  they  are  hastening  to  aid  their  commander. 
The  negro  repeats  his  blows  with  the  heavy  club;  the 
rebel  falls  dead  at  Tillman's  feet.  The  African  seizes 
the  revolver,  drives  the  crew  below  deck,  orders  the 
release  of  the  Yankee,  puts  the  enemy  in  irons,  and 
proclaims  himself  master  of  the  vessel. 

Five  days  more,  and  the  "S.  J.  Waring"  arrives  in 
the  port  of  New  York,  under  the  command  of  Wrilliam 
Tillman,  the  negro  patriot. 

The  brave  exploit  of   Tillman  had  scarcely  ceased 


LOYALTY  AND  BRAVERY  OF  THE  BLACKS.    345 

being  the  topic  of  conversation,  ere  the  public  were 
again  startled  by  the  announcement  that  Robert  Small, 
a  slave,  had  escaped  with  the  steamer  Planter  from 
Charleston,  South  Carolina.  This  ev'ent  was  commu 
nicated  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  by  Commodore 
Dupont. 

Up  to  this  time,  the  services  of  colored  men  in  the 
war  had  not  been  recognized;  however,  soon  after 
Major-Gencral  B.  F.  Butler  accepted  and  acknowledged 
their  services  in  Louisiana. 

It  is  probably  well  known  that  the  free  colored 
population  of  New  Orleans,  in  intelligence,  public 
spirit,  and  material  wealth,  surpass  those  of  the  same 
class  in  any  other  city  of  the  Union.  Many  of  these 
gentlemen  have  been  highly  educated,  have  travelled 
extensively  in  this  and  foreign  countries,  speak  and 
read  the  French,  Spanish,  and  English  languages 
fluently,  and  in  the  Exchange  Rooms,  or  at  the  Stock 
Boards,  wield  an  influence  at  any  time  fully  equal  to 
the  same  number  of  white  capitalists.  Before  the  war, 
they  represented  in  that  city  alone  fifteen  millions  of 
property,  and  were  heavily  taxed  to  support  the  schools 
of  the  State,  but  were  not  allowed  to  claim  the  least 
benefit  therefrom. 

These  gentlemen,  representing  so  much  intelligence, 
culture,  and  wealth,  and  who  would,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  they  all  have  negro  blood  in  their  veins, 
adorn  any  circle  of  society  in  the  North,  who  would  be 
taken  upon  Broadway  for  educated  and  wealthy  Cuban 
planters,  rather  than  free  negroes,  although  many  of 
them  have  themselves  held  slaves,  have  always  been 
loyal  to  the  Union;  and,  when  New  Orleans  seemed  in 
danger  of  being  recaptured  by  the  rebels  under  General 


346  THE    RISING    SON. 

Magruder,  these  colored  men  rose  en  masse,  closed 
their  offices  and  stores,  armed  and  organized  themselves 
into  six  regiments,  and  for  six  weeks  abandoned  their 
business,  and  st'ood  ready  to  fight  for  the  defence  of 
New  Orleans,  while  at  the  same  time  not  a  single  white 
.regiment  from  the  original  white  inhabitants  was  raised. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  CAPITAL  FREE. — PROCLAMATION   OF   FREEDOM. 

IN  1862  slavery  was  abolished  in  the  District  of 
Columbia,  the  honor  of  which  in  the  main  belongs  to 
Henry  Wilson,  Senator  from  Massachusetts. 

With  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of 
Columbia,  commenced  a  new  era  at  our  country's 
capital.  The  representatives  of  the  governments  of 
Hayti  and  Liberia  had  both  long  knocked  in  vain  to  be 
admitted  with  the  representatives  of  other  nations. 
The  slave  power  had  always  succeeded  in  keeping  them 
out.  But  a  change  had  now  come  over  the  dreams  of 
the  people,  and  Congress  was  but  acting  up  to  this  new 
light  in  passing  the  bill  admitting  the  representatives 
of  the  black  republics. 

As  we  have  before  stated,  the  slave-trade  was  still 
beins:  carried  on  between  the  Southern  States  and 

o 

Africa.  Ships  were  fitted  out  in  the  Northern  ports 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  this  infernal  traffic, 
And  although  it  was  prohibited  by  an  act  of  Congress, 
none  had  ever  been  convicted  for  dealing  in  slaves. 
The  new  order  of  things  was  to  give  these  trafficers  a 
trial,  and  test  the  power  by  which  they  had  so  long 

(347) 


348  THE  RISING    SON. 

dealt  in  the  bodies  and  souls   of  men  whom  they  had 
stolen  from  their  native  land. 

One  Nathaniel  Gordon  was  already  in  prison  in 
New  York,  and  his  trial  was  fast  approaching.  It 
came,  and  he  was  convicted  of  piracy  in  the  United 
States  District  Court  in  the  city  of  New  York;  the 
piracy  consisting  in  having  fitted  out  a  slaver,  and 
shipped  nine  hundred  Africans  at  Congo  River,  with 
a  view  to  selling  them  as  slaves.  The  same  man  had 
been  tried  for  the  same  offence  before;  but  the  jury 
failed  to  agree,  and  he  accordingly  escaped  punishment 
for  the  time.  Every  effort  was  made  which  the  in 
genuity  of  able  lawyers  could  invent,  or  the  power  of 
money  could  enforce,  to  save  this  miscreant  from 
the  gallows;  but  all  in  vain;  for  President  Lincoln 
utterly  refused  to  interfere  in  any  way  whatever,  and 
Gordon  was  executed  on  the  7th  of  February. 

This  blow  appeared  to  give  more  offence  to  the 
commercial  Copperheads  than  even  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  in  the  District  of  Columbia;  for  it  struck  an 
effectual  blow  at  a  very  lucrative  branch  of  commerce, 
in  which  the  New  Yorkers  were  largely  interested. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  nation  was  steadily  moving 
on  to  the  goal  of  freedom. 

In  September,  18 02,  the  colored  people  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  organized  the  "Black  Brigade,"  and  rendered 
eminent  service  in  protecting  that  city  from  the  raids 
of  John  Morgan  and  other  brigands. 

On  the  first  of  January,  18 03,  President  Lincoln  put 
forth  his  Emancipation  Proclamation,  as  follows:  — 

"Whereas,  On  the  22d  day  of  September,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 


PROCLAMATION   OF   FREEDOM.  349 

sixty-three,  a  proclamation  was  issued  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  containing,  among  other  things, 
the  following;  to  wit: 

"That,  On  the  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three, 
all  persons  held  as  slaves  within  any  State  or  any 
designated  part  of  a  State,  the  people  whereof  shall 
then  be  in  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  shall 
be  then,  henceforward,  and  forever,  free;  and  the 
Executive  Government  of  the  United  States,  including1 

o 

the  military  and  naval  force  thereof,  will  recognize 
and  maintain  the  freedom  of  such  persons,  and  will  do 
no  act  or  acts  to  repress  such  persons,  or  any  of  them, 
in  any  effort  they  may  make  for  their  actual  freedom; 
that  the  Executive  will,  on  the  first  day  of  January 
aforesaid,  by  proclamation,  designate  the  States  and 
parts  of  States,  if  any,  in  which  the  people  therein 
respectively  shall  then  be  in  rebellion  against  the 
United  States;  and  the  fact  that  any  State  or  people 
thereof  shall  on  that  day  be  in  good  faith  represented 
in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  by  members 
chosen  thereto,  at  elections  wherein  a  majority  of  the 
qualified  voters  of  such  States  shall  have  participated, 
shall,  in  the  absence  of  strong  countervailing  testimony, 
be  deemed  conclusive  evidence  that  such  State  and  the 
people  thereof  are  not  then  in  rebellion  against  the 
United  States. 

"Now,  therefore,  I,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of 
the  United  States,  by  virtue  of  the  power  in  me  vested, 
as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the 
United  States  in  times  of  actual  rebellion  against  the 
authorities  and  government  of  the  United  States,  and 
as  a  fit  and  necessary  war-measure  for  suppressing  this 


350  THE    RISING    SOX. 

rebellion,  do  on  this,  the  first  day  of  January,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty- 
three,  and  in  accordance  with  my  purpose  so  to  do, 
publicly  proclaimed  for  the  full  period  of  one  hundred 
days  from  the  date  of  the  first  above-mentioned  order, 
designate  as  the  States  and  parts  of  States  wherein 
the  people  thereof,  respectively,  are  this  day  in  rebellion 
against  the  United  States.  The  following,  to  wit:  — 

" Arkansas,  Texas,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama, 
Florida,  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina,  and 
Virginia. 

* 'Louisiana  (except  the  parishes  of  Placquemines, 
St.  Mary,  Jefferson,  St.  John,  St.  Charles,  St.  James, 
Ascension,  Assumption,  Terre  Bonne,  Lafourche, 
St.  Bernard,  St.  Martin,  and  Orleans,  including  the 
city  of  New  Orleans),  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Florida, 
Georgia,  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina,  and  Virginia, 
except  the  forty-eight  counties  designated  as  West 
Virginia,  and  also  the  counties  of  Berkley,  Accomac, 
Northampton,  Elizabeth  City,  York,  Princess  Anne, 
and  Norfolk,  including  the  cities  of  Norfolk  and  Ports 
mouth,  which  excepted  parts  are  for  the  present  left 
precisely  as  if  this  proclamation  were  not  made. 

4 'And  by  virtue  of  the  power,  for  the  purpose 
aforesaid,  I  do  order  and  declare  that  all  persons  held 
as  slaves  within  said  designated  States  and  parts  of 
States  are,  and  henceforward  shall  be,  FREE;  and  the 
Executive  Government  of  the  United  States,  including 
the  militarv  and  naval  authorities  thereof,  will  rceo£- 

v  O 

nize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of  such  persons. 

"And  I  hereby  enjoin  upon  the  people  so  declared 
to  be  free  to  abstain  from  all  violence,  unless  in 
necessary  self-defence;  and  I  recommend  to  them,  that, 


PROCLAMATION    OF   FREEDOM.  351 

in  ail  cases  where  allowed,  they  labor  faithfully  for 
reasonable  wages. 

"And  I  further  declare  and  make  known,  that  such 
persons,  if  in  suitable  condition,  will  be  received  into 
the  armed  service  of  the  United  States,  to  garrison 
forts,  positions,  stations,  and  other  places,  and  to  man 
vessels  of  all  sorts  in  said  service.  And  upon  this, 
sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of  justice  warranted  by 
the  constitution,  and  upon  military  necessity,  I  invoke 
the  considerate  judgment  of  mankind  and  the  gracious 
favor  of  Almighty  God. 

"In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand, 
and  caused  the  seal  of  the  United  States  to  be  affixed. 

"Done  at  the  city  of  Washington,  this  first  day  of 
January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  of  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  of  America  the  eighty-seventh. 

(Signed)  " ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

* 

BLACKS   ENLISTED,    AND  IN   BATTLE. 

.ATTORNEY- GENERAL  BATES  had  already  given  his 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  citizenship  of  the  negro, 
and  that  opinion  was  in  the  black  man's  favor.  The 
Emancipation  Proclamation  was  only  a  prelude  to 
calling  on  the  colored  men  to  take  up  arms,  and  the 
one  soon  followed  the  other;  for  the  word  "Emancipa 
tion"  had  scarcely  gone  over  the  wires,  ere  Adjutant- 
General  Thomas  made  his  appearance  in  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi.  At  Lake  Providence,  Louisiana,  he 
met  a  large  wing  of  the  army,  composed  of  volunteers 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  proclaimed  to  them 
the  new  policy  of  the  administration. 

The  Noitherri  regiments  stationed  at  the  South,  or 
doing  duty  in  that  section,  had  met  with  so  many 
reverses  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  had  been  so  inhu 
manly  treated  by  the  rebels,  both  men  and  women,  that 
the  new  policy  announced  by  Adjutant-General  Thomas 
at  Lake  Providence  and  other  places,  was  received  with 
great  favor,  especially  when  the  white  soldiers  heard 
from  their  immediate  commanders  that  the  freedmeii 
when  enlisted  would  be  employed  in  doing  fatigue-duty, 

(352) 


BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE.       353 

when  not  otherwise  needed.     The  slave,  rc^ardinsr  the 

'          O  O 

use  of  the  musket  as  the  only  means  of  securing  his 
freedom  permanently,  sought  the  nearest  place  of  en 
listment  with  the  greatest  speed. 

The  appointment  of  men  from  the  ranks  of  the  white 
regiments  over  the  blacks  caused  the  former  to  feel  still 
more  interest  in  the  new  levies.  The  position  taken 
by  Major-General  Hunter,  in  South  Carolina,  and  his 
favorable  reports  of  the  capability  of  the  frccclmcu  for 
military  service,  and  the  promptness  with  which  that 
distinguished  scholar  and  Christian  gentleman,  Thomas 
Weutworth  Higginson,  accepted  the  colonelcy  of  the 
First  South  Carolina,  made  the  commanding  of  negro 
regiments  respectable,  and  caused  a  wish  on  the  part 
of  white  volunteers  to  seek  commissions  over  the 
blacks. 

The  new  regiments  filled  up  rapidly;  the  recruits 
adapted  themselves  to  their  new  condition  with  a  zeal 
that  astonished  even  their  friends;  and  their  proficiency 
in  the  handling  of  arms,  with  only  a  few  days'  train 
ing,  set  the  minds  of  their  officers  at  rest  with  regard 
to  their  future  action. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1863,  the  first  regular  battle 
was  fought  between  the  blacks  and  whites  in  the  valley 
of  the  Mississippi.  The  planters  had  boasted,  that, 
should  they  meet  their  former  slaves,  a  single  look 
from  them  would  cause  the  negroes  to  throw  down 
their  weapons,  and  run.  Many  Northern  men,  espe 
cially  Copperheads,  professed  to  believe  that  such 
would  be  the  case.  Therefore,  all  eyes  were  turned 
to  the  far-off  South,  the  cotton,  sugar,  and  rice-grow 
ing  States ,  to  see  how  the  blacks  would  behave  on  the 
field  of  battle ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  most 
23 


354  THE  RISING  SON. 

ignorant  of  the  slave  population  belonged  in  that  sec 
tion. 

The  first  intimation  that  the  commanding  officer  at 
Mil  liken 'a  Bend  received  was  from  one  of  the  black 
men,  who  went  into  the  colonel's  tent,  and  said, 
"Massa,  the  secesh  are  in  camp."  The  colonel  ordered 
him  to  have  the  men  load  their  £uns  at  once.  He 

v_^ 

instantly  replied, — 

"We  have  done  did  dat  now,  massa."  Before  the 
colonel  was  ready,  the  men  were  in  line,  ready  for 
action. 

44  The  enemy  charged  us  so  close  that  we  fought 
with  our  bayonets,  hand  to  hand.  I  have  six  broken 
bayonets  to  show  how  bravely  my  men  fought,"  said 
the  colonel.  "I  can  truly  say,"  continued  he,  "that 
I  never  saw  a  braver  company  of  men  in  my  life. 

"Not  one  of  them  offered  to  leave  his  place  until 
ordered  to  fall  back.  I  went  down  to  the  hospital, 
three  miles,  to-day,  to  see  the  wounded.  Nine  of 
them  were  there,  two  having  died  of  their  wounds. 
A  boy  who  had  cooked  for  me  came  and  begged  a 
gun  when  the  rebels  were  advancing,  and  took  his 
place  with  the  company ;  and  when  we  retook  ths 
breastworks,  I  found  him  badly  wounded,  with  one 
gun-shot  and  two  bayonet  wounds.  A  new  recruit  I 
had  issued  a  gun  to  the  day  before  the  fight  was  found 
dead,  with  a  firm  grasp  on  his  gun,  the  bayonet  of 
which  was  broken  in  three  pieces.  So  they  fought 
and  died,  defending  the  cause  that  we  revere.  They 
met  death  coolly,  bravely;  not  rashly  did  they  expose 
themselves,  but  all  were  steady  and  obedient  to 
orders." 

This  battle  satisfied  the  slave-masters  of  the  South 


BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE.      355 

that  their  charm  was  gone;  and  that  the  negro,  as  a 
slave,  was  lost  forever.  Yet  there  was  one  fact  con 
nected  with  the  battle  of  Millikcn's  Bend  which  will 
descend  to  posterity,  as  testimony  against  the  human 
ity  of  slave-holders;  and  that  is,  that  no  negro  was 
ever  found  alive  that  was  taken  a  prisoner  by  the 
rebels  in  this  fight. 

The  next  engagement  which  the  blacks  had,  was  up 
the  St.  Mary's  River,  South  Carolina,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  T.  W.  Higginson.  Here,  too,  the 
colored  men  did  themselves  and  their  race  great  credit. 

We  now  come  to  the  battle  of  Port  Hudson,  in  which 
the  black  forces  consisted  of  the  First  Louisiana,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Bassett,  and  the  Third  Louisiana, 
under  Colonel  Nelson.  The  line-officers  of  the  Third 
were  white;  and  the  regiment  ^as  composed  mostly  of 
freedmen,  many  of  whose  backs  still  bore  the  marks  of 
the  lash,  and  whose  brave,  stout  hearts  beat  high  at  the 
thought  that  the  hour  had  come  when  they  were  to 
meet  their  proud  and  unfeeling  oppressors. 

The  First  was  the  noted  regiment  called  "The  Na 
tive  Guard,"  which  General  Butler  found  when  he 
entered  New  Orleans,  and  which  so  promptly  offered 
its  services  to  aid  in  crushing  the  Rebellion.  The 
line-officers  of  this  regiment  were  all  colored,  taken 
from  amongst  the  most  wealthy  and  influential  of  the 
free  colored  people  of  New  Orleans.  It  was  said  that 
not  one  of  them  was  worth  less  than  twenty-five  thou 
sand  dollars.  The  brave,  the  enthusiastic,  and  the 
patriotic,  found  full  scope  for  the  development  of  their 
powers  in  this  regiment,  of  which  all  were  well  edu 
cated;  some  were  fine  scholars.  One  of  the  most 
efficient  officers  was  Captain  Andre  Callioux,  a  man 


356  THE    RISING    SON. 

whoso  identity  with  his  race  could  not  be  mistaken. 
This  regiment  petitioned  their  commander  to  allow 
them  to  occupy  the  post  of  danger  in  the  battle,  and 
it  was  granted. 

As  the  moment  of  attack  drew  near,  the  greatest 
suppressed  excitement  existed;  but  all  were  eager  for 
the  fight.  Captain  Callioux  walked  proudly  up  and 
down  the  line,  and  smilingly  greeted  the  familiar 
faces  of  his  company.  Officers  and  privates  of  the 
white  regiments  looked  on  as  they  saw  these  men  at 
the  front,  and  asked  each  other  what  they  thought 
would  be  the  result.  Would  these  blacks  stand  fire? 
Was  not  the  test  by  which  they  were  to  be  tried  too 
severe?  Colonel  Nelson  being  called  to  act  as  briga 
dier-general,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Finnegas  took  his 
place.  The  enemy  in  his  stronghold  felt  his  power, 
and  bade  defiance  to  the  expected  attack.  At  last  the 
welcome  word  was  given,  and  our  men  started.  The 
enemy  opened  a  blistering  fire  of  shell,  canister, 
grape,  and  musketry.  The  first  shell  thrown  by  the 
enemy  killed  and  wounded  a  number  of  the  blacks; 
but  on  they  went.  "Charge"  was  the  word. 

At  every  pace,  the  column  was  thinned  by  the  fall 
ing  dead  and  wounded.  The  blacks  closed  up  steadily 
as  their  comrades  fell,  and  advanced  within  fifty  p'iceg 
of  where  the  rebels  were  working  a  masked  battery, 
situated  on  a  bluff  where  the  guns  could  sweep  the 
whole  field  over  which  the  troops  must  charge.  This 
battery  was  on  the  left  of  the  charging  line.  Another 
battery  of  three  or  four  guns  commanded  the  front, 
and  six  heavy  pieces  raked  the  right  of  the  line  as  it 
formed,  and  enfiladed  its  flank  and  rear  as  it  charged 
on  the  bluff.  It  was  ascertained  that  a  bayou  ran 


BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE.      357 

under  the  bluff  where  the  guns  lay, — a  bayou  deeper 
than  a  man  could  ford.  This  charge  was  repulsed 
with  severe  loss.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Finnegas  was 
then  ordered  to  charge,  and  in  a  well-dressed,  steady 
line  his  men  went  on  the  double-quick  down  over  the 
field  of  death.  • 

No  matter  how  gallantly  the  men  behaved,  no  mat 
ter  how  bravely  they  were  led,  it  was  not  in  the 
course  of  things  that  this  gallant  brigade  should  take 
these  works  by  charge.  Yet  charge  after  charge  was 
ordere'd  and  carried  out  under  all  these  disasters  with 
Spartan  firmness.  Six  charges  in  all  were  made. 
Colonel  Nelson  reported  to  General  Dwight  the  fear 
ful  odds  he  had  to  contend  with.  Says  General 
Dwight,  in  reply,  "Tell  Colonel  Nelson  I  shall  con 
sider  that  he  has  accomplished  nothing  unless  he  take 
those  guns."  Humanity  will  never  forgive  General 
Dwight  for  this  last  order;  for  he  certainly  saw  that 
he  was  only  throwing  away  the  lives  of  his  men. 
But  what  were  his  men?  "Only  niggers."  Thus 
the  last  charge  was  made  under  the  spur  of  despera 
tion. 

The  ground  was  alread}7  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
wounded,  and  many  of  the  brave  officers  had  fallen 
early  in  the  engagement;  Among  them  was  the  gal 
lant  and  highly-cultivated  Anselmo.  He  was  a  stand 
ard-bearer,  and  hugged  the  stars  and  stripes  to  his 
heart  as  he  fell  forward  upon  them  pierced  by  five 
balls.  T\vo  corporals  near  by  struggled  between 
themselves  as  to  who  should  have  the  honor  of  again 
raising  those  blood-stained  emblems  to  the  breeze. 
Each  was  eager  for  the  honor;  and  during  the  strug 
gle  a  missile  from  the  enemy  wounded  one  of  them, 


358  THE    RISING    SON. 

and  the  other  corporal  shouldered  the  dear  old  flag 
in  triumph,  and  bore  it  through  the  charge  in  the 
front  of  the  advancing  lines. 

Shells  from  the  rebel  guns  cut  down  trees  three 
feet  in  diameter,  and  they  fell,  at  one  time  burying 
a  whole  company  beneath  their  branches.  Thus  they 
charged  bravely  on  certain  destruction,  till  the  ground 
was  slippery  with  the  gore  of  the  slaughtered,  and 
cumbered  with  the  bodies  of  the  maimed.  The  last 
charge  was  made  about  one  o'clock.  At  this  juncture, 
Captain  Callioux  was  seen  with  his  left  arm  da'ngling 
by  his  side, — for  a  ball  had  broken  it  above  the  el 
bow, — while  his  right  hand  held  his  unsheathed  sword 
gleaming  in  the  rays  of  the  sun;  and  his  hoarse,  faint 
voice  was  heard  cheering  on  his  men.  A  moment 
more,  and  the  brave  and  generous  Callioux  was  struck 
by  a  shell,  and  fell  far  in  advance  of  his  company. 

The  fall  of  this  officer  so  exasperated  his  men,  that 
they  appeared  to  be  filled  with  new  enthusiasm;  and 
they  rushed  forward  with  a  recklessness  that  probably 
has  never  been  surpassed.  Seeing  it  to  be  a  hopeless 
effort,  the  taking  of  these  batteries,  the  order  was  given 
to  change  the  programme ;  and  the  troops  were  called 
off.  But  had  they  accomplished  anything  more  than 
the  loss  of  many  of  their  brave  men?  Yes;  they 
had.  The  self-forge tfulness,  the  undaunted  heroism, 
and  the  great  endurance  of  the  Negro,  as  exhibited 
that  day,  created  a  new  chapter  in  American  history 
for  the  colored  man. 

Many  Persians  were  slain  at  the  battle  of  Ther 
mopylae;  but  history  records  only  the  fall  of  Leoni- 
das  and  his  four  hundred  companions.  So  iii  the 
future,  when  we  shall  have  passed  away  from  the 


BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE.       359 

stage,  and  rising  generations  shall  speak  of  the  con 
flict  at  Port  Hudson,  and  the  celebrated  charge  of  the 
negro  brigade,  they  will  forget  all  others  in  the  admira 
tion  for  Andre  Callioux  and  his  colored  associates. 
General  Banks,  in  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Port 
Hudson,  says:  «' Whatever  doubt  may  have  existed 
heretofore  as  to  the  efficiency  of  organizations  of  this 
character,  the  history  of  this  day  proves  conclusively 
to  those  who  were  in  a  condition  to  observe  the  con 
duct  of  these  regiments,  that  the  government  will  find 
in  this  class  of  troops  effective  supporters  and  defend 
ers.  The  severe  test  to  which  they  were  subjected, 
and  the  determined  manner  -in  which  they  encoun 
tered  the  enemy,  leaves  upon  my  mind  no  doubt  of 
their  ultimate  success." 

The  splendid  behavior  of  the  blacks  in  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi,  was  soon  equalled  by  the  celebrated 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  commanded  by 
the  lamented  Robert  G.  Shaw. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  July,  the  Fifty-fourth  Regi 
ment  (colored),  Colonel  R.  G.  Shaw,  was  attacked  by 
the  enemy,  on  James  Island,  in  which  a  fight  of  two 
hours'  duration  took  place,  the  Rebels  largely  out 
numbering  the  Union  forces.  The  Fifty-fourth,  how 
ever,  drove  the  enemy  before  them  in  confusion.  The 
loss  to  our  men  was  fourteen  killed  and  eighteen 
wounded.  During  the  same  day,  Colonel  Shaw  re 
ceived  orders  from  General  Gillmore  to  evacuate  the 
Inland.  Preparations  began  at  dusk.  The  night  was 
dark  and  stormy,  and  made  the  movement  both  diffi 
cult  and  dangerous.  The  march  was  from  James  Island 
to  Cole  Island,  across  marshes,  streams,  and  dikes,  and 
part  of  the  way  upon  narrow  foot-bridges,  along  which 


360  THE    RISING    SON. 

it  was  necessary  to  proceed  in  single  file.  The  whole 
force  reached  Cole  Island  the  next  morning,  July  17, 
and  rested  during  the  day  on  the  beach  opposite  the 
south  end  of  Folly  Island.  About  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  the  colonel  of  the  Fifty-fourth  received 
orders  directing  him  to  report,  with  his  command,  to 
General  George  C*.  Strong,  at  Morris  Island,  to  whoso 
brigade  the  regiment  was  transferred. 

From  eleven  o'clock  .of  Friday  evening  until  four 
o'clock  of  Saturday,  they  were  being  put  on  the  trans 
port,  the  * 'General  Hunter,"  in  a  boat  which  took 
about  fifty  at  a  time.  There  they  breakfasted  on  the 
same  fare,  and  had  no  other  food  before  entering 
into  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner  in  the  evening. 

The  General  Hunter  left  Cole  Island  for  Folly  Island 
at  six  A.  M.  ;  and  the  troops  landed  at  Pawnee  Land 
ing  about  nine  and  a  half  A.  M.,  and  thence  marched  to 
the  point  opposite  Morris  Island,  reaching  there  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  They  were  transported 
in  a  steamer  across  the  inlet,  and  at  four  p.  M.,  began 
their  march  for  Fort  Wagner.  They 'reached  Briga 
dier-General  Strong's  quarters,  about  midway  on  the 
Island,  about  six  or  six  and  a  half  o'clock,  where  they 
halted  for  five  minutes. 

General  Strong  expressed  a  great  desire  to  give  them 
food  and  stimulants;  but  it  was  too  late,  as  they  had 
to  lead  the  charge.  They  had  been  without  tents  dur 
ing  the  pelting  rains  of  Thursday  and  Friday  nights. 
General  Strong  had  been  impressed  with  the  high 
character  of  the  regiment  and  its  officers;  and  he 
wished  to  assign  them  the  post  where  the  most  severe 
work  was  to  be  done,  and  the  highest  honor  was  to  be 
won. 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,    AND   IN   BATTLE.  361 

The  march  across  Folly  and  Morris  Islands  was  over 
a  sandy  road,  and  was  very  wearisome.  The  regiment 
went  through  the  centre  of  the  Island,  and  not  along 
the  beach,  where  the  marching  was  easier. 

When  they  hatl  come  within  six  hundred  yards  of 
Fort  Wagner,  they  formed  in  line  of  battle,  the  colonel 
beading  the  first,  and  the  major  the  second  battalion. 
This  was  within  musket-shot  of  the  enemy.  There  was 
little  firing  from  the  enemy;  a  solid  shot  falling  be 
tween  the  battalions,  and  another  falling  to  the  right, 
but  no  musketry.  At  this  point,  the  regiment,  to 
gether  with  the  next  supporting  regiment,  the  Sixth 
Connecticut,  Ninth  Maine,  and  others,  remained  half 
an  hour.  The  regiment  was  addressed  by  General 
Strong  and  by  Colonel  Shaw.  Then,  at  seven  and  a 
half  or  seven  and  three-quarters  o'clock,  the  order  for 
the  charge  was  given.  The  regiment  advanced  at 
quick  time,  changed  to  double-quick  when  at  some  dis 
tance  on, 

The  intervening  distance  between  the  place  where  the 
line  was  formed  and  the  fort  was  run  over  in  a  few 
minutes.  When  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
fort,  the  rebel  musketry  opened  with  such  terrible 
effect  that  for  an  instant  the  first  battalion  hesitated, — 
but  only  for  an  instant;  for  Colonel  Shaw,  springing  to 
the  front  and  waving  his  sword,  shouted,  "Forward, 
my  brave  boys!"  and  with  another  cheer  and  a  shout 
they  rushed  through  the  ditch,  gained  the  parapet  on 
the  right,  and  were  soon  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand 
conflict  with  the  enemy.  Colonel  Shaw  was  one  oi 
the  first  to  scale  the  walls.  He  stood  erect,  to  urge 
forward  his  men,  and  while  shouting  for  them  to  press 
on  was  shot  dead,  and  fell  into  the  fort.  His  body 


362  THE   RISING    SON. 

was  found,  with  twenty  of  his  men  lying  dear!  around 
him;  two  lying  on  his  own  body. 

The  Fifty-fourth  did  well  and  nobly;  only  the  full 
of  Colonel  Shaw  prevented  them  from  entering  the  fort. 
They  moved  up  as  gallantly  as  any  troops  could,  and 
with  their  enthusiasm,  they  deserved  a  better  fate. 

Sergeant-Major  Lewis  H.  Douglass,  son  of  Frederick 
Douglass,  the  celebrated  orator,  sprang  upon  the  para 
pet  close  behind  Colonel  Shaw,  and  cried  out,  "Come, 
boys,  come;  let's  fight  for  God  and  Governor  An 
drew."  This  brave  young  man  was  the  last  to  leave 
the  parapet.  Before  the  regiment  reached  the  parapet, 
the  color-sergeant  was  wounded;  and  while  in  the  act 
of  falling,  the  colors  were  seized  by  Sergeant  William 
H.  Carney,  who  bore  them  up,  and  mounted  the  para 
pet,  where  he,  too,  received  three  severe  wounds.  But 
on  orders  being  given  to  retire,  the  color-bearer, 
though  almost  disabled,  still  held  the  emblem  of  lib 
erty  in  the  air,  and  followed  his  regiment  by  the  aid  of 
his  comrades,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  hospital, 
where  he  fell  exhausted  and  almost  lifeless  on  the  floor, 
saying,  "The  old  flag  never  touched  the  ground, 
boys."  Captain  Lewis  F.  Emilio,  the  junior  cap 
tain, —  all  of  his  superiors  having  been  killed  or 
wounded, —  took  command,  and  brought  the  regiment 
into  camp.  In  this  battle,  the  total  loss  in  officers  and 
men,  killed  and  wounded,  was  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
one. 

When  inquiry  was  made  at  Fort  Wagner,  under  flag 
of  truce,  for  the  body  of  Colonel  Shaw  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  Fifty-fourth,  the  answer  was,  "We  have 
buried  him  with  his  niggers!"  It  is  the  custom  of 
savages  to  outrage  the  dead,  and  it  was  only  natural 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,    AND    IN    BATTLE.  363 

that  the  natives  of  South  Carolina  should  attempt  to 
heap  insult  upon  the  remains  of  the  brave  young  sol 
dier  ;  but  that  wide  grave  on  Morris  Island  will  be  to 
a  whole  race  a  holy  sepulchre.  No  more  fitting  place 
for  burial,  no  grander  obsequies  could  have  been  given 
to  him  who  cried,  as  he  led  that  splendid  charge, 
''On,  my  brave  boys,"  than  to  give  to  him  and  to 
them  one  common  grave. 

Shaw's  Regiment  afterwards  distinguished  itself  in 

c  *^j 

the  hard-fought  battle  of  Olustee,  an  engagement  that 
will  live  in  the  history  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  battle  of  Olustee  was  fought  in  a  swamp  situated 
thirty-five  miles  west  of  Jacksonville,  and  four  miles 
from  Sanderson,  in  the  State  of  Florida.  The  expedi 
tion  was  under  the  immediate  command  of  General  C. 
Seymour,  and  consisted  of  the  Seventh  New  Hamp 
shire,  Seventh  Connecticut,  Eighth  United  States  (col 
ored)  Battery,  Third  United  States  Artillery,  Fifty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  (colored),  and  First  North 
Carolina  (colored).  The  command  having  rested  on 
the  night  of  the  19th  of  February,  1864,  at  Barbour's 
Ford,  on  the  St.  Mary's  River,  took  up  its  line  of 
march  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  and  proceeded  to 
Sanderson,  nine  miles  to  the  west,  which  was  reached 
at  one  o'clock,  P.  M.,  without  interruption;  but  about 
three  miles  beyond,  the  advance  drove  in  the  enemy's 
pickets.  The  Seventh  Connecticut,  being  deployed 
as  skirmishers,  fell  in  with  the  enemy's  force  in  the 
swamp,  strengthened  still  more  by  rifle-pits.  Here 
they  were  met  by  cannon  and  musketry;  but  our 
troops,  with  their  Spencer  rifles,  played  great  havoc 
with  the  enemy,  making  an  attempt  to  take  one  of 
his  pieces  of  artillery,  but  failed.  However,  they 


364  THE  RISING    SON. 

held  their  ground  nobly  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour, 
and  were  just  about  retiring  as  the  main  body  of  our 
troops  came  up. 

The  Eighth  (colored),  which  had  never  been  in 
battle,  and  which  had  been  recruited  but  a  few  weeks, 
came  up  and  filed  to  the  right,  when  they  met  with  a 
most  terrific  shower  of  musketry  and  shell,  dcneral 
Seymour  now  came  up,  and  pointing  in  front,  towards 
the  railroad,  said  to  Colonel  Fribley,  commander  of 
the  Eighth,  "Take  your  regiment  in  there," — a  place 
which  was  sufficiently  hot  to  make  the  oldest  and 
most  field-worn  veterans  tremble ;  and  yet  these  men, 
who  had  never  heard  the  sound  of  a  cannon  before, 
rushed  in  where  they  commenced  dropping  like  grass 
before  the  sickle.  Still  on  they  went  without  falter 
ing,  until  they  came  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the 
enemy's  strongest  works.  Here  these  brave  men  stood 
for  nearly  three  hours  before  a  terrible  fire,  closing  up 
as  their  ranks  were  thinned  out,  fire  in  front,  on  their 
flank,  and  in  the  rear,  without  flinching  or  breaking. 

Colonel  Fribley,  seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to 
hold  the  position,  passed  along  the  lines  to  tell  the 
officers  to  fire,  and  fall  back  gradually,  and  was  shot 
before  he  reached  the  end.  He  was  shot  in  the  chest, 
told  the  men  to  carry  him  to  the  rear,  and  expired  in  a 
very  few  minutes.  Major  Burritt  took  command,  but 
was  also  wounded  in  a  short  time.  At  this  time  Cap 
tain  Hamilton's  battery  became  endangered,  and  he 
cried  out  to  our  men  for  God's  sake  to  save  his  battery. 
Our  United  States  flag,  after  three  sergeants  had  for 
feited  their  lives  by  bearing  it  during  the  fight,  was 
planted  on  the  battery  by  Lieutenant  Elijah  Lewis, 
and  the  men  rallied  around  it;  but  the  guns  had  been 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,   AND   IN   BATTLE.  365 

jammed  up  so  indiscriminately,  and  so  close  to  the 
enemy's  lines,  that  the  gunners  were  shot  down  as  fast 
as  they  made  their  appearance ;  and  the  horses,  whilst 
they  were  wheeling  the  pieces  into  position,  shared  the 
same  fate.  They  were  compelled  to  leave  the  battery, 
and  failed  to  bring  the  flag  away.  The  battery  fell 
into  the  enemy's  hands.  During  the  excitement,  Cap 
tain  Bailey  took  command,  and  brought  out  the  regi 
ment  in  good  order.  Sergeant  Taylor,  Company  D., 
who  carried  the  battle-flag,  had  his  right  baud  nearly 
shot  off,  but  grasped  the  colors  with  the  left  hand,  and 
brought  them  out. 

The  Seventh  New  Hampshire  was  posted  on  both 
sides  of  the  wagon-road,  and  broke,  but  soon  rallied, 
and  did  good  execution.  The  line  was  probably  one 
mile  long,  and  all  along  the  fighting  was  terrific. 

Our  artillery,  where  it  could  be  worked,  made  dread 
ful  havoc  on  the  enemy;  whilst  the  enemy  did  us  but 
very  little  injury  with  his;  with  the  exception  of  oue 
gun,  a  sixty-four  pound  swivel,  fixed  on  a  truck-car  on 
the  railroad,  which  fired  grape  and  canister.  On  the 
whole,  their  artillery  was  very  harmless;  but  their 
musketry  fearful. 

Up  to  this  time,  neither  the  First  North  Carolina 
nor  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  had  taken  any 
part  in  the  fight,  as  they  were  in  the  rear  some  dis 
tance.  However,  they  heard  the  roar  of  battle,  and 
were  hastening  to  the  field,  when  they  were  met  by  an 
aide,  who  came  riding  up  to  the  colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
fourth,  saying,  "For  God's  sake,  Colonel,  double- 
quick,  or  the  day  is  lost  1"  Of  all  the  regiments,  every 
one  seemed  to  look  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts 
with  the  most  dependence  on  the  field  of  battle.  This 


366  THE    RISING    SON. 

regiment  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  E.  N. 

i_/ 

Hallo  well,  who  fell  wounded  by  the  side  of  Colonel 
Shaw,  at  Fort  Wagner,  and  who,  since  his  recovery, 
had  been  in  several  engagements,  in  all  of  which  he 

O     O  ' 

had  shown  himself  an  excellent  officer,  and  had  gained 
the  entire  confidence  of  his  men,  who  were  willing  to 
follow  him  wherever  he  chose  to  lead.  When  the 
aide  met  these  two  regiments,  he  found  them  hasten 
ing  on. 

The  First  North  Carolina  was  in  light  marching 
order;  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  was  in  heavy 
marching  order,  with  knapsacks,  haversacks,  canteens, 
and  every  other  appurtenance  of  the  soldier.  But  off 
went  everything,  and  they  double-quicked  on  to  the 
field.  At  the  most  critical  juncture,  just  as  the  rebels 
were  preparing  for  a  simultaneous  charge  along  the 
whole  line,  and  they  had  captured  our  artillery 
and  turned  it  upon  us,  Colonel  James  Montgomery, 
Colonel  Hallowell,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hooper 
formed  our  line  of  battle  on  right  by  file  into  line. 

The  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  went  in  first,  with 
a  cheer.  They  were  followed  by  the  First  North 
Carolina  (colored) ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  R.ced,  in  com 
mand,  headed  the  regiment,  sword  in  hand,  and  charged 
upon  the  rebels.  -  They  broke  when  within  twenty 
yards  of  contact  with  our  negro  troops.  Overpowered 
by  numbers,  the  First  North  Carolina  fell  back  in 
good  order,  and  poured  in  a  destructive  fire.  Their 
colonel  fell,  mortally  wounded.  Major  Bogle  fell 
Avounded,  and  two  men  were  killed  in  trying  to  reach 
his  body.  The  Adjutant,  William  C.  Manning,  before 
wounded  at  Malvern  Hills,  got  a  bullet  in  his  body, 
but  persisted  in  remaining  until  another  shot  struck 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,    AND   IN   BATTLE.  367 

him.  His  lieutenant-colonel,  learning  the  fact,  em 
braced  him,  and  implored  him  to  leave  the  field.  The 
next  moment  the  two  friends  were  stretched  side  by 
side;  the  colonel  had  received  his  own  death-wound. 
But  the  two  colored  regiments  had  stood  in  the  gap, 
and  saved  the  army.  The  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts, 
which,  with  the  First  North  Carolina,  may  be  truly  said 
to  have  saved  the  forces  from  utter  rout,  lost  eighty 
men. 

There  were  three  color-sergeants  shot  down;  the  last 
one  was  shot  three  times  before  he  relinquished  the 
flag  of  his  country.  His  name  was  Samuel  C.  Waters, 
Company  C.,  and  his  body  sleeps  where  he  fell.  The 
battle-flag  carried  by  Sergeant  Taylor  was  borne 
through  the  fight  with  the  left  hand,  after  the  right 
one  was  nearly  shot  off.  The  rebels  fired  into  the 
place  where  the  wounded  were  being  attended  to ;  and 
their  cavalry  was  about  making  a  charge  on  it  just  as 
the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  appeared  on  the  field, 
when  they  retired. 

Had  Colonel  Hallowcll  not  seen  at  a  glance  the  situ 
ation  of  affairs,  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volun 
teers  won  Id  have  been  killed  or  captured.  When  they 
entered  the  field  with  the  First  North  Carolina,  which 
is  a  brave  regiment,  they  (the  First  North  Carolina) 
fired  well  while  they  remained;  but  they  gave  way, 
thus  exposing  the  right.  On  the  left,  the  rebel  cavalry 
were  posted;  and  as  the  enemy's  left  advanced  on  our 
right,  their  cavalry  pressed  the  left.  Both  flanks  were 
thus  being  folded  up,  and  slaughter  or  capture  would 
have  been  the  inevitable  result.  We  fell  back  in  good 
order,  and  established  new  lines  of  battle,  until  we 
reached  Sanderson. 


3G8  THE    RISING   SON. 

Here  a  scene  that  beggars  description  was  presented. 
Wounded  men  lined  the  railroad  station;  and  the 
roads  were  filled  with  artillery,  caissons,  ammuni 
tion,  baggage-wagons,  infantry,  cavalry,  and  ambu 
lances.  The  only  organized  bodies  ready  to  repel  at 
tack  were  a  portion  of  the  Fortieth  Massachusetts 
Mounted  Infantry,  armed  with  the  Spencer  repeating- 
rifle,  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and 
the  Seventh  Connecticut,  commanded  by  Colonel  Haw- 
ley, 'now  governor  of  Connecticut. 

An  occurrence  of  thrilling  interest  took  place  during 
the  battle,  which  I  must  not  omit  to  mention.  It  was 
this :  — 

Colonel  Hallo  well  ordered  the  color-line  to  be  ad 
vanced  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces.  Three  of  the  col 
ored  corporals,  Pease,  Palmer,  and  Glasgow,  being 
wounded,  and  the  accomplished  Goodin  killed,  there 
were  four  only  left, — Wilkins,  the  acting  sergeant, 
Helman,  and  Lenox.  The  colors  were  perforated  with 
bullets,  and  the  staff  was  struck  near  the  grasp  of  the 
sergeant;  but  the  color-guard  marched  steadily  out, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  paces  to  the  front,  with  heads 
erect  and  square  to  the  front;  and  the  battalion  rallied 
around  it,  and  fought  such  a  fight  as  made  Colonel 
Hallowell  shout  with  very  joy,  and  the  men  themselves 
to  ring  out  defiant  cheers  which  made  the  pines  and 
marshes  of  Ocean  Pond  echo  again. 

Although  these  colored  men  had  never  been  paid  off, 

and  their  families  at  home  were  in  want,  they  were  as 

obedient,  and  fought  as  bravely,  as  the  white  troops, 

•  whose   pockets   contained    "greenbacks,"   and    whose 

wives  and  children  were  provided  for. 

The  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  went  into  the  battle 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,    AND   IN   BATTLE.  369 

with  *  'Three  cheers  for  Massachusetts,  and  seven  dol 
lars  a  month." 

It  is  well  known  that  the  general  in  command  came 
to  the  colonel  and  saul,  "The  day  is  lost;  you  must 
do  what  you  can  to  save  the  army  from  destruction." 
And  nobly  did  they  obey  him.  They  fired  their  guns 
till  their  ammunition  was  exhausted,  and  then  stood 
with  fixed  bayonets  till  the  broken  columns  had  time 
to  retreat,  and  though  once  entirely  outflanked,  the 
enemy  getting  sixty  yards  in  their  rear,  their  un 
daunted  front  and  loud  cheering  caused  the  enemy  to 
pause,  and  allowed  them  time  to  change  front.  They 
occupied  the  position  as  rear  guard  all  the  way  back  to 
Jacksonville;  and  wherever  was  the  post  of  danger, 
there  was  the  Fifty-fourth  to  be  found. 

When  the  forces  arrived  at  Jacksonville,  they  there 
learned  that  the  train  containing  the  wounded  was  at 
Ten-Mile  Station,  where  it  had  been  left,  owing  to  the 
breaking  down  of  the  engine.  The  Fifty-fourth  Massa 
chusetts,  fatigued  and  worn  out  as  it  was,  was  des 
patched  at  once,  late  at  night,  to  the  assistance  of  the 
disabled  train.  Arriving  at  Ten-Mile  Station,  they 
found  that  the  only  way  to  bring  the  wounded  with 
them  was  to  attach  ropes  to  the  cars,  and  let  the  men 
act  as  motive  power.  Thus  the  whole  train  of  cars 
containing  the  wounded  from  the  battle  of  Olustee 
was  dragged  a  distance  of  ten  miles  by  that  brave  col 
ored  regiment. 

The  battle  of  Poison  Springs,  Arkansas,  between 
one  thousand  Union  and  eight  thousand  rebel  troops, 
was  one  of  the  most  severe  conflicts  of  the  war.  Six 
hundred  of  the  Union  forces  were  colored,  and  from 
Kansas,  some  of  them  having  served  under  old  John 
24 


370  THE  KISING  SOX. 

Brown  during  the  great  struggle  in  that  territory. 
These  black  men,  as  it  will  be  seen,  bore  the  brunt 
of  the  fight,  and  never  did  men  show  more  determined 
bravery  than  was  exhibited  on  this  occasion. 

Nothing  in  the  history  of  the  Rebellion  equalled  in 
inhumanity  and  atrocity  the  horrid  butchery  at  Fort 
Pillow,  Kentucky,  on  the  13th  of  April,  1864.  In  no 
other  school  than  slavery  could  human  beings  have 
been  trained  to  such  readiness  for  cruelties  like  these. 
Accustomed  to  brutality  and  bestiality  all  their  lives, 
it  WP.S  easy  for  them  to  perpetrate  the  atrocities  which 
startled  the  civilized  foreign  world,  as  they  awakened 
the  indignation  of  our  own  people. 

After  the  rebels  were  in  undisputed  possession  of 
the  fort,  and  the  survivors  had  surrendered,  they  com 
menced  the  indiscriminate  butchery  of  all  the  Federal 
soldiery.  The  colored  soldiers  threw  clown  their  guns, 
and  raised  their  arms,  in  token  of  surrender;  but  not 
the  least  attention  was  paid  to  it.  They  continued  to 
shoot  down  all  they  found.  A  number  of  them,  find 
ing  no  quarter  was  given,  ran  over  the  bluff  to  the 
river,  and  tried  to  conceal  themselves  under  the  bank 
and  in  the  bushes,  where  they  were  pursued  by  the 
rebel  savages,  whom  they  implored  to  spare  their 
lives.  Their  appeals  were  made  in  vain;  and  they 
were  all  shot  down  in  cold  blood,  and,  in  full  sight 
of  the  gunboat,  chased  and  shot  down  like  dogs.  In 
passing  up  the  bank  of  the  river,  fifty  dead  might  he 
counted  strewed  along.  One  had  crawled  into  a 
hollow  log,  and  was  killed  in  it;  another  had  got 
over  the  bank  into  the  river,  and  had  gat  on  a  board 
that  ran  out  into  the  water.  He  lay  on  it  on  his 
face,  with  his  feet  in  the  water.  He  lay  there,  when 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,    AND   IX   BATTLE.  371 

exposed,  stark  aud  stiff.  Several  had  tried  to  hide 
in  crcvi'.es  made  by  the  falling  bank,  and  could  not 
be  seen  without  difficulty;  but  they  were  singled  out, 
and  killed.  From  the  best  information  to  be  had,  the 
white  soldiers  were,  to  a  very  considerable  extent, 
treated  in  the  same  way. 

We  now  record  an  account  of  the  battle  of  Honey 
Hill,  South  Carolina,  and  one  of  the  most  famous  en 
gagements  in  which  the  blacks  fought  during  the  war. 

Honey  Hill  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  t'he 
village  of  Grahamville,  Beaufort  District.  On  the 

*~_^  * 

crest  of  this,  where  the  road  or  the  highway  strikes  it, 
is  a  semicircular  line  of  earthworks,  defective,  though, 
in  construction,  as  they  are  too  high  for  infantry,  and 
have  little  or  no  exterior  slope.  These  works  formed 
the  centre  of  the  rebel  lines ;  while  their  left  reached 
up  into  the  piuelands,  and  their  right  along  a  line  of 
fence  that  skirted  the  swamp  below  the  batteries. 
They  commanded  fully  the  road  in  front  as  it  passes 
through  the  swamp  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  and  only 
some  fifty  or  sixty  yards  distant.  Through  the  swamp 
runs  a  small  creek,  which  spreads  up  and  down  the 
roads  for  some  thirty  or  forty  yards,  but  is  quite  shal 
low  the  entire  distance.  Some  sixty  yards  beyond 
the  creek,  the  muiii  road  turns  off  to  the  left,  making 
an  obtuse  angle;  while  another  and  smaller  road 
makes  off  to  the  right  from  the  same  point. 

The  Union  forces  consisted  of  six  thousand  troops, 
artillery,  cavalry,  and  infantry,  all  told,  under  the 
command  of  Major-General  J.  G .  Foster,  General  John 
P.  Hatch  having  the  immediate  command.  The  First 
Brigade,  under  General  E.  E.  Potter,  was  composed 
of  the  Fifty-sixth  and  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fourth 


37 '"2  THE    RISING    SON. 

United  States,  Twenty-fifth  Ohio,  and  Thirty-fourth 
and  Thirty-fifth  United  States  (colored).  The  Second 
Brigade,  under  Colonel  A.  S.  Hartwell,  was  composed 
of  the  Fifty-fourth  and  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts,  and 
Twenty-sixth  and  Thirty-second  United  States  (col 
ored).  Colonel  E.  P.  Hallowcll,  of  the  Fifty-fourth 
Massachusetts,  had,  in  spite  of  his  express  desire,  been 
left  behind  in  command  of  Morris  and  Folly  Islands. 
As  at  the  battle  of  Olustee,  the  enemy  was  met  in 
small  numbers  some  three  or  four  miles  from  his  base. 
The  Union  forces  approached  the  fort  by  the  left  road, 
which  brought  them  in  front  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
pointing  down  the  hill,  which  was  also  down  the  road. 

The  Thirty-second  United  States  colored  troops  were 
ordered  to  charge  the  rebel  fort;  had  got  in  position 
at  the  head  of  the  road.  They  attempted,  but  got 
stuck  in  the  marsh,  which  they  found  impassable  at  the 
point  of  their  assault;  and  a  galling  fire  of  grape,  can 
ister,  and  musketry  being  opened  on  them,  they  were 
forced  to  retire. 

The  Thirty-fourth  United  States  colored  troops  also 
essayed  an  assault,  but  could  not  get  near  enough  to 
produce  any  effect  upon  it.  These  regiments,  how 
ever,  only  fell  back  to  the  line  of  battle,  where  they 
remained  throughout  the  entire  fight. 

The  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts  (colored)  went  into 
the  fight  on  the  right  of  the  brigade,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Hartwell.  The  fire  became  very  hot;  but  still 
the  regiment  did  not  waver,  the  line  merely  quivered. 
Captain  Goraud,  of  General  Foster's  staff,  whose  gal 
lantry  was  conspicuous  all  day,  rode  up  just  as  Colonel 
Hartwell  was  wounded  in  the  hand,  and  advised  him 
to  retire;  but  the  colonel  declined. 


BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE.      373 

Colonel  Ilartwell  giivo  the  order;  the  colors  came 
to  the  extreme  front,  when  the  colonel  shouted,  "Fol 
low  your  colors! "  The  bugle  sounded  the  charge, 
and  then  the  colonel  led  the  way  himself. 

After  an  unsuccessful  charge  in  line  of  battle  by 
the  Fifty-fourth  and  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts,  the 
Fifty -fifth  was  formed  in  column  by  company,  and 
again  thrice  marched  up  flat  narrow  causeway  in  the 
face  of  the  enemy's  batteries  and  musketry. 

Captain  Crane,  of  the  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts, 
whose  company  had  been  left  in  charge  of  Fort  Dela- 
field,  at  Folly  Island,  but  who,  at  his  own  request, 
had  gone  as  aide  to  Colonel  Hartwell,  was,  as  well 
as  the  colonel,  mounted. 

Just  as  they  reached  the  marsh  in  front  of  the  turn 
in  the  road,  and  within  a  short  distance  of  the  rebel 
works,  the  horse  of  brave  Colonel  Hartwell,  while 
struggling  through  the  mud,  was  literally  blown  in 
pieces  by  a  discharge  of  canister. 

The  colonel  was  wounded  at  the  same  time,  and 
attempted  to  jump  from  his  horse;  but  the  animal  fell 
on  him,  pressing  him  into  the  mud.  At  this  time, 
he  was  riding  at  the  side  of  the  column,  and  the  men 
pressed  on  past;  but  as  they  neared  the  fort  they 
met  a  murderous  fire  of  grape,  canister,,  and  bullets 
at  short  range.  As  the  numbers  of  the  advance  were 
thinned,  the  few  who  survived  began  to  waver,  and 
finally  the  regiment  retreated. 

In  retiring,  Lieutenant  Ellsworth,  and  one  man  of 
the  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts,  came  to  the  rescue  of 
Colonel  Hartwell,  and  in  spite  of  his  remonstrance 
that  they  should  leave  him  to  his  fate,  and  take  care 
of  themselves,  released  him  from  his  horse,  and  bore 


374  THE    RISING   SON. 

him  from  the  field.  But  before  he  was  entirely  out 
of  range  of  the  enemy's  fire,  the  colonel  was  again 
wounded,  and  the  brave  private  soldier  who  was  as 
sisting  was  killed,  and  another  heroic  man  lost- 

The  Twenty-fifth  Ohio,  soon  after  the  commence 
ment  of  the  engagement,  were  sent  to  the  right,  where 
they  swung  around,  and  fought  on  a  line  nearly  per 
pendicular  to  our  main  front.  A  portion  of  the  Fifty- 
fifth  Massachusetts  were  with  them.  One  or  two 
charges  were  essayed,  but  were  unsuccessful;  but  the 
front  was  maintained  there  throughout  the  afternoon. 
The  Twenty-fifth  had  the  largest  loss  of  all  the  regi 
ments. 

The  colored  troops  fought  well  throughout  the  day. 
Counter-charges  were  made  at  various  times  during 
the  fight  by  the  enemy ;  but  our  infantry  and  artillery 
mowed  them  down,  and  they  did  not  at  any  time  get 
very  near  our  lines.  Whenever  a  charge  of  our  men 
was  repulsed,  the  rebels  would  flock  out  of  their 
works,  whooping  like  Indians;  but  Ames's  guns  and 
the  terrible  volleys  of  our  infantry  won  id  send  them 
back.  The  Naval  Brigade  behaved  splendidly. 

The  Fifty -fourth  Massachusetts,  heroes  of  all  the 
hard  fights  that  occurred  in  the  department,  were 
too  much  scattered  in  this  battle  to  do  full  jus 
tice  to  themselves.  Only  two  companies  went  into 
the  fight  at  first,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hooper. 
They  were  "posted  on  the  left.  Subsequently  they 
were  joined  by  four  more  companies,  who  wrere  left 
on  duty  in  the  rear. 

Many  scenes  transpired  in  this  battle  which  would 
furnish  rich  material  for  the  artist.  In  the  midst  of 
the  engagement,  a  shell  exploded  amongst  the  color- 


BLACKS    ENLISTED,    AND    IX    BATTLE.  375 

gu.°rd,  severely  wounding  the  color-sergeant,  Ring, 
who  was  afterwards  killed  by  a  bullet.  Private  Fitz 
gerald,  of  Company  P.,  Massachusetts  Fifty-fifth,  was 
badly  wounded  in  the  side  and  leg,  but  regained  at 
his  post.  Major  Xutt,  seeing  his  condition,  ordered 
him  to  the  rear.  The  man  obeyed;  but  soon  the 
major  saw  that  he  had  returned,  wLen  he  spoke 
sharply,  "Go  to  the  rear,  and  have  your  wounds 
dressed."  The  man  again  obeyed  the  order;  but  in  a 
few  minutes  more  was  seen  by  the  major,  with  a  hand 
kerchief  bound  around  the  leg,  and  loading  and  firing. 
The  major  said  to  our  informant,  "I  thought  I  would 
let  him  stay." 

Like  the  Fifty-fourth  at  Olustee,  the  Fifty-fifth  was 
the  last  regiment  to  leave  the  field,  and  cover  the 
retreat  at  Honey  Hill. 

It  is  only  simple  justice  to  the  Fifty-fifth  Massachu 
setts  Regiment,  to  say  that  at  Honey  Hill  it  occupied 
the  most  perilous  position  throughout  nearly  the  entire 
battle. 

Three  times  did  these  heroic  men  march  up  the  hill 
nearly  to  the  batteries,  and  as  many  times  were  swept 
back  by  the  fearful  storm  of  grape-shot  and  shell; 
more  than  one  hundred  being  cut  down  in  less  than 
half  an  hour.  Great  was  its  loss;  and  yet  it  remained 
in  the  gap,  while  our  outnumbered  army  was  strug 
gling  with  the  foe  on  his  own  soil,  and  in  the  strong 
hold  chosen  by  himself. 

What  the  valiant  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  had 
been  at  the  battle  of  Olustee,  the  Fifty -fifth  was  at 
Honey  Hill. 

Never  was  self-sacrifice,  by  both  officers  and  men, 
more  apparent  than  on  this  occasion;  never  did  men 


376  THE  RISING    SOX. 

look  death  more  calmly  in  the  face.  See  the  undaunted 
and  heroic  Hartwell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  and 
hear  him  shouting,  * 'Follow  your  colors,  my  brave 
men ! ' '  and  with  drawn  sword  leading  his  gallant  band. 
His  horse  is  up  to  its  knees  in  the  heavy  mud.  The 
rider,  already  wounded,  is  again  struck  by  the  frag 
ment  of  a  shell,  but  keeps  his  seat;  while  the  spirited 
animal  struggling  in  the  mire,  and  plunging  about, 
attracts  the  attention  of  the  braves,  who  are  eagerly 
pressing  forward  to  meet  the  enemy,  to  retake  the 
lost  ground,  and  gain  a  victory,  or  at  least,  save  the 
little  army  from  defeat.  A  moment  more,  he  is  killed; 
and  the  brave  Hartwell  attempts  to  jump  from  his 
charger,  but  is  too  weak.  The  horse  falls  with  fearful 

O         ' 

struggles  upon  its* rider,  and  both  are  buried  in  the 
mud.  The  brave  Captain  Crane,  the  Adjutant,  is 
killed,  and  falls  from  his  horse  near  his  colonel. 
Lieutenant  Boyntou,  while  urging  his  men,  is  killed. 
Lieutenant  Hill  is  wounded,  bat  still  keeps  his  place. 
Captains  Soule  and  Woodward  are  both  wounded,  and 
yet  keep  their  command.  The  blood  is  running  freely 
from  the  mouth  of  Lieutenant  Jewett;  but  he  does 
not  leave  his  company.  Sergeant-Major  Trotter  is 
wounded,  but  still  fights.  Sergeant  Shorter  is  wounded 
in  the  knee,  yet  will  not  go  to  the  rear.  A  shell  tears 
off  the  foot  of  Sergeant-Major  Charles  L.  Mitchell 
and  as  he  is  carried  to  the  rear,  he  shouts,  with  up 
lifted  hand,  "Cheer  up,  boys;  we'll  never  surren 
der!"  But  look  away  in  front:  there  are  the  colors, 
and  foremost  amongst  the  bearers  is  Robert  M.  King, 
the  young,  the  handsome,  and  the  gentlemanly  ser 
geant,  whose  youth  and  bravery  attract  the  attention 
of  all.  Scarcely  more  than  twenty  years  of  age,  well 


BLACKS  ENLISTED,  AND  IN  BATTLE.       377 

educated,  he  left  a  good  home  in  Ohio  to  follow 
the  fortunes  of  war,  and  to  give  his  life  to  help  re 
deem  his  race.  The  enemy  train  their  guns  upon  the 
colors,  the  roar  of  cannon  and  crack  of  rifle  is  heard, 
the  advanced  flag  falls,  the  heroic  King  is  killed; 
no,  he  is  not  dead,  but  only  wounded.  A  fellow- 
sergeant  seizes  the  colors;  but  the  bearer  will  not 
give  them  up.  He  rises,  holds  the  old  flag  aloft  with 
one  hand,  and  presses  the  other  upon  the  wound  ifl 
his  side  to  stop  the  blood.  "Advance  the  colors!" 
shouts  the  commander.  The  I  rave  King,  though 
saturated  with  his  own  blood,  is  the  first  to  obey  the 
order.  As  he  goes  forward,  a  bullet  passes  through 
his  heart,  and  he  falls.  Another  snatches  the  colors; 
but  they  are  fast,  the  grasp  of  death  holds  them  tight. 
The  hand  is  at  last  forced  open,  the  flag  is  raised  to 
the  breeze,  and  the  lifeless  body  of  Robert  M.  King 
is  borne  from  the  field.  This  is  but  a  truthful  sketch 
of  the  part  played  by  one  heroic  son  of  Africa,  whose 
death  was  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him.  This  is 
only  one  of  the  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  that  fell 
on  the  field  of  Honey  Hill.  With  a  sad  heart  we 
turn  away  from  the  picture. 

The  Sixth  Regiment  United  States  colored  troops 
was  the  second  which  was  organized  at  Camp  William 
Penn,  near  Philadelphia,  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wag 
ner,  of  the  Eighty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
The  regiment  left  Philadelphia  on  the  14th  of  October, 
1863,  with  nearly  eight  hundred  men,  and  a  full  com 
plement  of  officers,  a  large  majority  of  whom  had 
been  in  active  service  in  the  field. 

The  regiment  reported  to  Major-General  B.  F.  But 
ler,  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and  were  assigned  to  duty 


378  THE    RISING    SON. 

at  Yorktown,  Virginia,  and  became  part  of  the  brigade 
(afterwards  so  favorably  known),  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  S.  A.  Duncan,  Fourth  United  States  col 
ored  troops.  Here  they  labored  upon  the  fortifica 
tions,  and  became  thoroughly  disciplined  under  the 
tuition  of  their  colonel,  John  W.  Ames,  formerly 
captain  of  the  Eleventh  Infantry,  United  States  army, 
ably  seconded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Royce  and  Major 
Kiddoo.  During  the  winter,  the  regiment  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  several  raids  made  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Richmond,  and  exhibited  qualities  that  elicited 
the  praise  of  their  officers,  and  showed  that  they  could 
be  fully  relied  upon  in  more  dangerous  work. 

The  regiment  was  ordered  to  Camp  Hamilton,  Vir 
ginia,  in  May,  1864,  where  a  division  of  colored 
troops  was  formed,  and  placed  under  the  command  of 
Brigadier-General  Hinks.  In  the  expedition  made  up 
the  James  River  the  some  month,  under  General  But 
ler,  this  division  took  part.  The  white  troops  were 
lauded  at  Bermuda  Hundreds.  Three  regiments  of 
colored  men  were  posted  at  various  points  along  the 
river.  Duncan's  brigade  landed  at  City  Point,  where 
they  immediately  commenced  fortifications.  The  Sixth 
and  Fourth  Regiments  were  soon  after  removed  to 
Spring  Hill,  within  five  miles  of  Petersburg.  Here 
they  labored  night  and  day  upon  those  earthworks 
which  were  soon  to  be  the  scene  of  action  which  was 
to  become  historical.  The  Sixth  was  in  a  short  time 
left  alone,  by  the  removal  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  to 
another  point. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  the  rebel  forces  made  an 
assault  on  the  picket-line,  the  enemy  soon  after 
attacking  in  strong  force,  but  were  unable  to  drive 


PROCLAMATION    OF   FREEDOM.  379 

back  the  picket-line  any  considerable  distance.  The 
Fourth  Kcgimcnt  was  ordered  to  the  assistance  of  the 
Sixth ;  but  our  forces  were  entirely  too  weak  to  make 
it  feasible  or  prudent  to  attack  the  enemy,  who  with 
drew  during  the  night,  having  accomplished  nothing. 
This  was  the  first  experience  of  the  men  under  actual 
fire,  and  they  behaved  finely.  When  the  outer  works 
around  Petersburg  were  attacked,  June  15,  Duncan's 
brigade  met  the  rebels,  and  did  good  service,  driving 
the  enemy  before  him.  We  had  a  number  killed  and 
wounded  in  this  cnira^cmcnt.  The  rebels  sought 

^-s      C^  ^j 

shelter  in  their  main  works,  which  were  of  the  most 
formidable  character.  These  defences  had  been  erected 
by  the  labor  of  slaves,  detailed  for  the  purpose.  Our 
forces  followed  them  to  their  stronghold.  The  white 

o 

troops  occupied  the  right;  and  in  order  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  enemy,  while  these  troops  were 
manoeuvring  for  a  favorable  attacking  position,  the 
colored  soldiers  were  subject  to  a  most  galling  fire 
for  several  hours,  losing  a  number  of  officers  and  men. 
Towards  night,  the  fight  commenced  in  earnest  by  the 
troops  on  the  right,  who  quickly  cleared  their  portion 
of  the  line;  this  was  followed  by  the  immediate  ad 
vance  of  the  colored  troops,  the  Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth, 
and  Twenty-second  Regiments.  In  a  very  short  time 
the  rebels  were  driven  from  the  whole  line;  these 
regiments  capturing  seven  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a 
number  of  prisoners.  For  their  gallantry  in  this  action 
the  colored  troops  received  a  highly  complimentary 
notice  from  General  W.  H.  Smith  in  General  Orders. 
A  few  hours  after  entering,  the  rebel  works,  our 
soldiers  were  gladdened  by  a  sight  of  the  veterans  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  who  that  night  relieved  our 


380  THE   RISING   SON. 

men  at  the  front.  A  glance  at  the  strong  works  gave 
the  new-comers  a  better  opinion  of  the  fighting  qualities 
of  the  negroes  than  they  had  calculated  upon;  and  a 
good  feeling  was  at  once  established,  that  rapidly  dis 
pelled  most  of  the  prejudices  then  existing  against  the 
blacks;  and  from  that  time  to  the  close  of  the  war,  the 
negro  soldier  stood  high  with  the  white  troops. 

After  spending  some  time  at  the  Bermuda  Hundreds, 
the  Sixth  Regiment  was  ordered  to  Dutch  Gap, 
Virginia,  where,  on  the  16th  of  August,  they  assisted 
in  driving  the  rebels  from  Signal  Hill;  General  Butler, 
in  person,  leading  our  troops.  The  Sixth  Regiment 
contributed  its  share  towards  completing  Butler's 
famous  canal,  during  which  time  they  were  often  very 
much  annoyed  by  the  rebel  shells  thrown  amongst 
them.  The  conduct  of  the  men  throughout  these  try 
ing  scenes  reflected  great  credit  upon  them.  On  the 
29th  of  September,  the  regiment  occupied  the  advance 
in  the  demonstration  made  by  Butler  that  day  upon 
Richmond.  The  first  line  of  battle  was  formed  by  the 
Fourth  and  Sixth  Regiments;  the  latter  entered  the 
fight  with  three  hundred  and  fifteen  men,  including 
nineteen  officers. 

The  enemy  were  driven  back  from  within  two  miles 
of  Deep  Bottom,  to  their  works  at  N"ew  Market 
Heights;  the  Sixth  was  compelled  to  cross  a  small 
creek,  and  then  an  open  field.  They  were  met  by  a 
fearful  fire  from  the  rebel  works;  men  fell  by  scores; 
still  the  regiment  went  forward.  The  color-bearers, 
one  after  another,  were  killed  or  wounded,  until  the 
entire  color-guard  were  swept  from  the  field.  Two 
hundred  and  nine  men,  and  fourteen  officers,  were 
killed  and  wounded.  Few  fields  of  battle  showed 


BLACKS   ENLISTED,    AND   IX   BATTLE.  381 

greater  slaughter  than  this;  and  in  no  conflict  did  both 

o  o  • 

officers  and  men  prove  themselves  more  brave.  Cap 
tains  York  and  Sheldon  and  Lieutenant  Meyer  were 
killed  close  to  the  rebel  works.  Lieutenants  Pratt, 
London,  and  McEvoy  subsequently  died  of  the  wounds 
received.  Lieutenant  Charles  Fields,  Company  A., 
was  killed  on  the  skirmish-line:  this  left  the  company 
in  charge  of  the  first  sergeant,  Richard  Carter,  of  Phil 
adelphia,  who  kept  it  in  its  advanced  position  through 
the  entire  day,  commanding  with  courage  and  great 
ability,  attracting  marked  attention  for  his  officer-like 
bearing.  During  the  battle  many  instances  of  unsur 
passed  bravery  were  shown  by  the  common  soldier, 
which  proved  that  these  heroic  men  were  fighting 
for  the  freedom  of  their  race,  and  the  restoration  of  a 
Union  that  should  protect  man  in  his  liberty  without 
regard  to  color.  No  regiment  did  more  towards  extin 
guishing  prejudice  against  the  Negro  than  the  patriotic 
Sixth. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

NEGRO  HATRED  AT   TIIE    NORTH. 

THE  prompt  manner  in  which  colored  men  in  the 
North  had  enlisted  in  the  army  to  aid  in  putting  down 
the  Rebellion,  and  the  heroism  and  loyalty  of  the  slaves 
of  the  South  in  helping  to  save  the  Union,  so  exasper 
ated  the  disloyal  people  in  the  Northern  States,  that 
they  early  began  a  system  of  cowardly  warfare  against 
the  blacks  wherever  they  found  them.  The  mob  spirit 
first  manifested  itself  at  a  meeting  held  in  Boston,  DC- 

O  ' 

cember  3,  18GO,  to  observe  the  anniversary  of  the  death 
of  John  Brown.  A  combination  of  North  End  roughs 

o 

and  Beacon  Street  aristocrats  took  possession  of  the 
Tremout  Temple,  the  place  of  holding  the  meeting, 
appointed  Richard  S.  Fay  as  Chairman,  and  passed  a 
series  of  resolutions  in  favor  of  the  slave-holders  of  the 
South,  and  condemnatory  of  the  abolitionists. 

This  success  induced  these  enemies  of  free  discussion 
to  attempt  to  break  up  the  meeting  of  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Congregational  Society  at  Music  Hall  the  fol 
lowing  Sunday,  at  which  Frederick  Douglass  was  the 
speaker.  Wendell  Phillips  addressed  the  same  society 
at  the  same  place,  on  the  19th  following,  when  the  mob 

(382) 


NEGEO  HATRED  AT  THE  NORTH.         383 

spirit  seemed  even  more  violent  than  on  any  previous 
occasion.  These  events  were  still  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  the  haters  of  negro  freedom,  when,  on  the  10th  of 
July,  1863,  the  great  mob  commenced  in  the  city  of 
New  York. 

The  mob  was  composed  of  the  lowest  and  most  de 
graded  of  the  foreign  population  (mainly  Irish) ,  raked 
from  the  filthy  cellars  and  dens  of  the  city,  steeped  in 
crimes  of  the  deepest  dye,  and  ready  for  any  act,  no 
matter  how  dark;  together  with  the  worst  type  of  our 
native  criminals,  whose  long  service  in  the  prisons  of 
the  country,  and  whose  training  in  the  Democratic 
party,  had  so  demoralized  their  natures  that  they  were 
ever  on  the  hunt  for  some  deed  of  robbery  or  murder. 

This   conglomerated   mass   of    human   beings   were 

O  £J 

under  the  leadership  of  men  standing  higher  than 
themselves  in  the  estimation  of  the  public,  but,  if  pos 
sible,  really  lower  in  moral  degradation.  Cheered  on 
by  men  holding  high  political  positions,  and  finding 
little  or  no  opposition,  they  went  on  at  a  fearful  rate. 

Never,  in  the  history  of  mob-violence,  was  crime 
carried  to  such  an  extent.  Murder,  arson,  robbery, 
and  cruelty  reigned  triumphant  throughout  the  city, 
day  and  night,  for  more  than  a  week. 

Hundreds  of  the  blacks,  driven  from  their  homes,  and 
hunted  and  chased  through  the  streets,  presented  them 
selves  at  the  doors  of  jails,  prisons,  police-stations,  and 
begged  admission.  Thus  did  these  fiends  prowl  about 
the  city,  committing  crime  after  crime;  indeed,  in 
point  of  cruelty,  the  Rebellion  was  transferred  from 
the  South  to  the  North. 

The  destruction  of  the  colored  Orphan  Asylum,  after 


384  THE   RISING   SON. 

first  robbing  the  little  black  children  of  their  clothing, 
seemed  a  most  heartless  transaction. 

Nearly  forty  colored  persons  were  murdered  during 
this  reign  of  terror.  Some  were  hung  at  lamp-posts, 
some  thrown  off  the  docks,  while  others,  shot,  clubbed, 
and  cut  to  pieces  with  knives,  were  seen  lying  dead  in 
the  streets. 

Numbers  of  men  and  boys  amused  themselves  by 
cutting  pieces  of  flesh  from  the  dead  body  of  a  black 
man  who  was  suspended  from  a  lamp-post  at  the 
corner  of  Prince  Street. 

Hundreds  of  colored  men  and  women  had  taken 
shelter  in  the  buildings  reached  by  passing  through  the 
"Arch,"  on  Thompson  Street.  The  mob  made  several 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  gain  admission  to  this  alley, 
where,  in  one  of  the  buildings,  was  a  room  about  thirty 
by  forty  feet  square,  in  the  centre  of  which  stood  an 
old-fashioned  cook-stove,  the  top  of  which  seemed 
filled  with  boilers,  and  all  steaming  away,  completely 
filling  the  place  with  a  dense  fog.  Two  lamps,  with 
dingy  chimneys,  and  the  light  from  the  fire,  which 
shone  brightly  through  the  broken  doors  of  the  stove, 
lighted  up  the  room.  Eight  athletic  black  women, 
looking  for  all  the  world  as  if  they  had  just  returned 
from  a  Virginia  corn-field,  weary  and  hungry,  stood 
around  the  room. 

Each  of  these  Amazons  was  armed  with  a  tin  dip 
per,  apparently  new,  which  had  no  doubt  been  pur 
chased  for  the  occasion.  A  woman  of  exceedingly 
large  proportions — tall,  long-armed,  with  a  deep  scar 
down  the  side  of  her  face,  and  with  a  half  grin,  half 
smile — was  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  "hot  room." 
This  woman  stood  by  the  stove,  dipper  in  hand,  and 


NEGRO  HATRED  AT  THE  NORTII.         385 

occasionally  taking  the  top  from  the  large  wash-boiler, 
which  we  learned  was  filled  with  boiling  water,  soap, 
and  ashes. 

In  case  of  an  attack,  this  boiler  was  to  be  the 
"King  of  Pain." 

Guided  by  a  friend  who  had  furnished  us  a  disguise, 
the  writer  entered  the  "hot  room,"  and  took  a  view  of 
its  surroundings.  As  we  saw  the  perspiration  stream 
ing  down  the  faces  of  these  women,  we  ventured  a  few 
questions. 

"Do  you  expect  an  attack?"    we  asked. 

"Dunno,  honey;  but  we's  ready  ef  dey  comes,"  was 
the  reply  from  the  aunty  near  the  stove. 

"Were  you  ever  in  slavery?"   we  continued. 

"Yes;    ain't  bin  from  dar  but  little  while." 

"What  State?" 

"Bred  and  born  in  ole  Virginny,  down  on  dc  Per- 
tomuc. " 

"Have  you  any  of  your  relations  in  Virginia  now?" 

"Yes;  got  six  chilcns  down  dar  somewhar,  an'  two 
husbuns — all  sole  to  de  speclaturs  afore  I  run  away." 

"Did  you  come  off  alone?" 

"No;  my  las  ole  man  bring  me  'way." 

"You  don't  moan  to  be  taken  back  by  the  slave- 
catchers,  in  peace?" 

"No;   I'll  die  fuss." 

"How  will  you  manage  if  they  attempt  to  come  into 
this  room  ?' ' 

"We'll  all  fling  hot  water  on  'em,  an'  scall  dar  very 
harts  out." 

"Can  you  all  throw  water  without  injuring  each 
other?" 

"O  yes,  honey;  we's  bin  practicin'  all  day."     AmJ 


380  THE  RISING  SON. 

here  the  whole  company  joined  in  a  hearty  laugh,  which 
made  the  old  building  ring. 

The  intense  heat  drove  us  from  the  room.  As  we 
descended  the  steps  and  passed  the  guards,  we  re 
marked  to  one  of  them, — 

"The  women  seem  to  be  prepared  for  battle." 

"Yes,"  he  replied;  "dcm  wimmens  got  cle  debil  in 
'em  to-night,  an'  no  mistake.  Dey'll  make  dat  a  hot 
hell  in  dar  fur  somebody." 

And  here  the  guards  broke  forth  into  a  hearty  laugh, 
which  was  caught  up  and  joined  in  by  the  women  in 
the  house,  which  showed  very  clearly  that  these  blacks 
felt  themselves  masters  of  the  situation. 

As  the  mob  made  their  last  attempt  to  gain  an  en 
trance  to  the  alley,  one  of  their  number,  a  man  bloated 
with  strong  drink,  and  heaping  oaths  upon  the  "nig 
gers,"  succeeded  in  getting  through,  and  made  his 
way  to  the  "hot  room,"  where,  it  is  said,  he  suddenly 
disappeared.  It  was  whispered  that  the  washerwomen 
made  soap-grease  of  his  carcass. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  "Arch"  were  not  again 
disturbed. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

CASTE  AND   PROGRESS. 

CASTE  is  usually  found  to  exist  in  communities  or 
countries  among  majorities,  and  against  minorities. 
The  basis  of  it  is  owing  to  some  supposed  inferiority 
or  degradation  attached  to  the  hated  ones.  However, 
nothing  is  more  foolish  than  this  prejudice.  But  the 
silliest  of  all  caste  is  that  which  is  founded' on  color; 
for  those  who  entertain  it  have  not  a  single  logical 
reason  to  offer  in  its  defence. 

The  fact  is,  slavery  has  been  the  cause  of  all  the 
prejudice  against  the  negro.  Wherever  the  blacks 
arc  ill-treated  on  account  of  their  color,  it  is  because 
of  their  identity  with  a  race  that  has  long  worn  the 
chain  of  slavery.  Is  there  anything  in  black  that 
should  be  hated?  If  so,  why  do  we  see  so  much 
black  in  common  use  as  clothing  among  all  classes? 
Indeed,  black  is  preferred  to  either  white  or  colors. 
How  often  the  young  man  speaks  in  ecstasies  of  the 
black  eyes  and  black  hair  of  his  lady-love!  Look  at 
the  hundreds  of  advertised  hair-dyes,  used  for  the 
purpose  of  changing  Nature!  See  men  with  their 
gray  beards  dyed  black;  women  with  those  beautiful 

(387) 


388  THE    RISING   SON. 

black  locks,  which  but  yesterday  were  as  white  as  the 
driven  snow!  Not  only  this,  but  even  those  with  light 
or  red  whiskers  run  to  the  dye-kettle,  steal  a  color 
which  Nature  has  refused  them,  and  an  hour  after 
curse  the  negro  for  a  complexion  that  is  not  stolen. 
If  black  is  so  hateful,  why  do  not  gentlemen  have 
their  boots  whitewashed?  if  the  slaves  of  the  South 
had  been  white,  the  same  prejudice  would  have  ex 
isted  against  them.  Look  at  the  "poor  white  trash,'* 
as  the  lower  class  of  whites  in  the  Southern  States  are 
termed. 

The  general  good  conduct  of  the  blacks  during  the 
Rebellion,  and  especially  the  aid  rendered  to  our 
Northern  men  escaping  from  Southern  prisons,  has 
done  much*  to  dispel  the  prejudice  so  rampant  in  the 
free  states.  The  following,  from  the  pen  of  Junius 
Henri  Browne,  the  accomplished  war  correspondent 
of  "The  Tribune,"  is  but  a  fair  sample  of  what  was 
said  for  the  negro  during  the  great  conflict.  In  his 
very  interesting  work,  "Four  Years  in  Secessia,"  he 
says:  — 

"The  negro  who  had  guided  us  to  the  railway  had 
told  us  of  another  of  his  color  to  whom  we  could  ap 
ply  for  shelter  and  food  at  the  terminus  of  our  second 
stage.  We  could  not  find  him  until  nearly  dawn; 
and  when  we  did,  he  directed  us  to  a  large  barn  filled 
with  corn-husks.  Into  that  we  crept  with  our  drip 
ping  garments,  and  lay  there  for  fifteen  hours,  until 
we  could  again  venture  forth.  Floundering  about  in 
the  husks,  we  lost  our  haversacks,  pipes,  and  a  hat. 

"About  nine  o'clock  we  procured  a  hearty  supper 
from  the  generous  negro,  who  even  gave  me  his  hat, — 
an  appropriate  presentation,  as  one  of  my  companions 


CASTE   AND   PROGRESS.  389 

remarked,  by  an  'intelligent  contraband'  to  the  reli 
able  gentleman  of  'The  New  York  Tribune.*  The 
negro  did  picket-duty  while  we  hastily  ate  our  meal, 
and  stood  by  his  blazing  fire.  The  old  African  and 
his  wife  gave  us  'God  bless  you,  massa!'  with  trem 
bling  voice  and  moistened  eyes,  as  we  parted  from 
them  with  grateful  hearts.  'God  bless  negroes!'  say 
I,  with  earnest  lips.  During  our  entire  captivity,  and 
after  our  escape,  they  were  ever  our  firm,  brave,  un 
flinching  friends.  We  never  made  an  appeal  to  them 
they  did  not  answer.  They  never  hesitated  to  do  us  a 
service  at  the  risk  even  of  life;  and  under  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  revealed  a  devotion  and  a  spirit 
of  self-sacrifice  that  were  heroic. 

"The  magic  word  'Yankee,'  opened  all  their  hearts, 
and  elicited  the  loftiest  virtues.  They  were  ignorant, 
oppressed,  enslaved;  but  they  always  cherished  a 
simple  and  beautiful  faith  in  the  cause  of  the  Union, 
and  its  ultimate  triumph,  and  never  abandoned  or 
turned  aside  from  a  man  who  sought  food  or  shelter 
on  his  way  to  freedom." 

The  mouth  of  May,  1864,  saw  great  progress  in  the 
treatment  of  the  colored  troops  by  the  government  of 
the  United  States.  The  circumstances  were  more 
favorable  for  this  change  than  they  had  hitherto  been. 
Slavery  had  been  abolished  in  the  District  of  Colum 
bia,  Maryland,  and  Missouri.  The  heroic  assault  on 
Fort  Wagner,  the  unsurpassed  bravery  exhibited  at 
Port  Hudson,  the  splendid  fighting  at  Olustee  and 
Honey  Hill,  had  raised  the  colored  men  in  the  esti 
mation  of  the  nation.  President  Lincoln  and  his  ad 
visers  had  seen  their  error,  and  begun  to  repair  the 
wrong.  The  year  opened  with  the  appointment  of 


390  THE    RISING    SOX. 

Dr.  A.  T.  Augusta,  a  colored  gentleman,  as  surgeon 
of  colored  volunteers,  and  he  was  at  once  assigned 
to  duty,  with  the  rank  of  major.  Following  this,  was 
the  appointment,  by  Governor  Andrew,  of  Massachu 
setts,  of  Sergeant  Stephen  A.  Svvailes,  of  Company 
F.,  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  as  second 
lieutenant. 

M.  R.  Delany,  M.  D.,  was  soon  after  appointed  a 
major  of  f  negro  volunteers,  and  assigned  to  duty  at 
Charleston,  South  Carolina.  W.  P.  Powell,  Jr.,  re 
ceived  an  appointment  as  surgeon,  about  the  same 
time. 

The  steamer  Planter,  since  being  brought  out  of 
Charleston  by  Robert  Small,  was  under  the  command 
of  a  Yankee,  who,  being  ordered  to  do  service  where 
the  vessel  would  be  liable  to  come  under  the  fire  of 
rebel  guns,  refused  to  obey;  whereupon  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Elwell,  without  consultation  with  any  higher 
authority,  issued  an  order,  placing  Robert  Small  in 
command  of  the  * 'Planter." 

The  acknowledgment  of  the  civil  rights  of  the 
negro  had  already  been  granted,  in  the  admission  of 
John  S.  Rock,  a  colored  man,  to  practice  law  in  all 
the  counties  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United 
States.  John  F.  Shorter,  who  was  promoted  to  a 
lieutenancy  in  Company  D.,  Fifty -fifth  Massachusetts 
Regiment,  was  by  trade  a  carpenter,  and  was  residing 
in  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  when  the  call  was  made 
for  colored  troops.  Severely  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Honey  Hill,  South  Carolina,  on  the  30th  of  No 
vember,  18G4,  he  still  remained  with  his  regiment, 
hoping  to  be  of  service. 

At  the   conclusion  of   the  war,  he  returned  home, 


CASTE    AND   PROGRESS.  391 

but  never  recovered  from  his  wound,  and  died  a  few 
days  after  his  arrival.  James  Monroe  Trotter,  pro 
moted  for  gallantry,  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Honey  Hill.  He  is  a  native  of  Grand  Gulf,  Missis 
sippi;  removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  was  educated  at 
the  Albany  (Ohio)  Manual  Labor  University,  where 
he  distinguished  himself  for  his  scholarly  attainments. 
He  afterwards  became  a  school-teacher,  which  position 
he  filled  with  satisfaction  to  the  people  of  Muskin- 
gum  and  Pike  Counties,  Ohio,  and  with  honor  to 
himself.  Enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Fifty-fifth 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  on  its  organization,  he  re 
turned  with  it  to  Boston  as  a  lieutenant,  an  office 
honorably  earned. 

William  II.  Dupree,  a  native  of  Petersburg,  Vir 
ginia,  was  brought  up  and  educated  at  Chillicothe, 
Ohio.  He  enlisted  in  the  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts 
Regiment,  on  its  formation,  as  a  private,  was  soon 
made  orderly-sergeant,  and  afterwards  promoted  to  a 
lieutenancy  for  bravery  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Charles  L.  Mitchel,  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy  in 
the  Fifty -fifth  Massachusetts  Regiment  for  gallantry 
at  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded  (losing  a  limb),  is  a  native  of  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  and  son  of  William  A.  Mitchel  of  that 
city.  Lieutenant  Mitchel  served  an  apprenticeship  to 
William  H.  Burleisrh,  in  the  office  of  the  old  "Char- 

O       ' 

ter  Oak,"  in  Hartford,  where  he  became  an  excellent  ( 
printer.  For  five  or  six  years  previous  to  entering 
the  army,  he  was  employed  in  different  printing-offices 
in  Boston,  the  last  of  which  was  "The  Liberator," 
edited  by  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  who  never  speaks 
of  Lieutenant  Mitchel  but  in  words  of  the  highest 


392  THE    RISING    SON. 

commendation.  General  A.  S.  Hartwcll,  late  colonel 
of  the  Fifty -fifth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  makes 
honorable  mention  of  Lieutenant  Mitohcl. 

In  the  year  1867,  Mr.  Mitchel  was  elected  to  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature,  from  Ward  Six,  in  Bos 
ton.  The  appointment  of  John  M.  Langston  to  a 
position  in  the  Freedman  Bureau,  showed  progress. 

However,  the  selection  of  E.  D.  Bassett,  as  Minister 
and  Consul-Gene ral  to  Hayti,  astonished  even  those 
who  had  the  most  favorable  opinion  of  President 
Grant,  and  satisfied  the  people  geueially,  both  colored 
and  white.  Since  the  close  of  the  war,  colored  men 
have  been  appointed  to  honorable  situations  in  the 
Custom  Houses  in  the  various  States,  also  in  the  Post 
Office  and  Revenue  Department. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

THE  ABOLITIONISTS. 

A  LITTLE  more  than  forty  years  ago,  William  Lloyd 
Garrison  hoisted  the  banner  of  immediate  and  uncon 
ditional  emancipation,  as  the  right  of  the  slave,  and 
the  duty  of  the  master.  The  men  and  women  who 
gradually  rallied  around  him,  fully  comprehended  the 
solemn  responsibility  they  were  then  taking,  and  seemed 
prepared  to  consecrate  the  best  years  of  their  hves  to 
the  cause  of  human  freedom.  Amid  the  moral  and 
political  darkness  which  then  overshadowed  the  land, 
the  voice  of  humanity  was  at  length  faintly  heard,  and 
soon  aroused  opposition;  for  slavery  was  rooted  and 
engrafted  in  every  fibre  of  American  society.  The 
imprisonment  of  Mr.  Garrison  at  Baltimore,  at  once 
directed  public  attention  to  the  heinous  sin  which  he 
was  attacking,  and  called  around  him  some  of  the 
purest  and  best  men  of  the  country. 

The  Boston  mob  of  1835  gave  new  impulse  to  the 
agitation,  and  brought  fresh  aid  to  the  pioneer  of  the 
movement.  Then  came  the  great  battle  for  freedom 
of  speech  and  the  press;  a  battle  in  which  the  heroism 
of  this  small  body  of  proscribed  men  and  women  had 

(393) 


394  THE    RISING    SON. 

ample  room  to  show  their  genius  and  abilities.  The 
bold  and  seeming  audacity  with  which  they  attacked 
slavery  in  every  corner  where  the  monster  had  taken 
refuge,  even  in  the  face  of  lynchings,  riots,  and  mur 
ders,  carried  with  it  a  charm  which  wrung  applause 
from  the  sympathizing  heart  throughout  the  world,  and 
showed  that  the  American  Abolitionists  possessed  a 
persistency  and  a  courage  which  had  never  found  a 
parallel  in  the  annals  of  progress  and  reform. 

In  the  spring  of  1859,  we  attended  a  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  American  Anti-slavery 
Society,  as  it  was  then  organized,  and  we  shall  write 
of  the  members  as  they  appeared  at  that  time.  The 
committee  was  composed  of  twelve  persons  besides  the 
chairman,  and  were  seated  around  a  long  table.  At 
the  head  of  the  table  sat  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  the 
Chairman  of  the  Board,  and  the  acknowledged  leader 
of  the  movement.  His  high  and  prominent  forehead, 
piercing  eye,  pleasant,  yet  anxious  countenance,  long 
nose,  and  smile  upon  his  lips,  point  him  out  at  once 
as  a  man  born  to  guide  and  direct. 

The  deference  with  which  he  is  treated  by  his  asso 
ciates  shows  their  appreciation  of  his  abilities  and 
his  moral  worth.  Tender  and  blameless  in  his  family 
affections,  devoted  to  his  friends,  simple  and  studious, 
upright,  guileless,  distinguished,  and  worthy,  like  the 
great  men  of  antiquity,  to  be  immortalized  by  another 
Plutarch.  As  a  speaker,  he  is  forcible,  clear,  and 
logical;  as  a  writer,  he  has  always  been  regarded  as 
one  of  the  ablest  in  our  country.  How  many  services, 
never  to  be  forgotten,  has  he  not  rendered  to  the  cause 
of  the  slave  and  the  welfare  of  mankind. 

Many  of  those  who  started  out  with  him  in  young 


THE   ABOLITIONISTS.  395 

manhood,  when  he  left  his  Newburyport  home,  were 
swept  away  like  so  much  floating  wood  before  the  tide. 

When  the  sturdiest  characters  gave  way,  when  the 
finest  geniuses  passed  one  after  another  under  the  yoke 
of  slavery,  Garrison  stood  firm  to  his  convictions,  like 
a  rock  that  stands  stirless  amid  the  conflicting  agita 
tion  of  the  waves.  He  is  not  only  the  friend  and  advo 
cate  of  freedom  with  his  pen  and  tongue,  but  to  the 
oppressed  of  every  clime  he  opens  his  purse,  his  house, 
and  his  heart.  In  days  past,  the  fugitive  slave,  fresh 
from  the  prison-house  of  the  South,  who  was  turned 
off  by  the  politician,  and  had  experienced  the  cold 
shoulder  of  the  divine,  found  a  warm  bed  and  break 
fast  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  William  Lloyd  Gar 
rison. 

The  society  whose  executive  committee  is  now  in 
session,  is  one  of  no  inconsiderable  influence  in  the 
United  States.  No  man  has  had  more  bitter  enemies 
or  stauncher  friends  than  Mr.  Garrison. 

There  are  those  among  his  friends  who  would  stake 
their  all  upon  his  veracity  and  integrity;  and  we  are 
sure  that  the  colored  people  throughout  America,  in 
whose  cause  he  has  so  long  labored,  will  with  one 
accord  assign  the  highest  niche  in  their  affections  to 
the  champion  of  universal  emancipation.  This  is  not 
intended  as  an  eulogium,  for  no  words  of  ours  could 
add  the  weight  of  a  feather  to  the  world-wide  fame 

c? 

of  William  Lloyd  Garrison;  but  we  simply  wish  to 
record  the  acknowledgment  of  a  grateful  negro  to  the 
most  distinguished  friend  of  his  race. 

On  the  right  of  the  chairman  sat  Wendell  Phillips, 
America's  ablest  orator.  He  is  a  little  above  the 
middle  height,  well  made,  and  remarkably  graceful  in 


396  THE  RISING    SON. 

person.  His  golden  hair  is  now  growing  thin  and 
changing  its  color,  and  his  youthful  look  has  gone; 
but  he  shows  no  yielding  to  age,  and  is  in  the  full 
maturity  of  his  powers.  Descended  from  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  cultivated  stock  of  New  England's 
sons;  educated  at  the  first  university;  graduating  with 
all  the  honors  which  the  college  could  bestow  on  him ; 
studying  law  with  Judge  Story,  and  becoming  a 
member  of  the  bar;  he  has  all  the  accomplishments 
that  these  advantages  can  give  to  a  man  of  a  great 
mind. 

Nature  has  treated  Mr.  Phillips  as  a  favorite.  His 
expressive  countenance  paints  and  reflects  every  emo 
tion  of  his  soul.  His  gestures,  like  his  delivery,  arc 
wonderfully  graceful.  There  is  a  fascination  in  the 
soft  gaze  of  his  eyes,  which  none  can  but  admire. 
Being  a  close  student,  and  endowed  by  Nature  with  a 
retentive  memory,  he  supplies  himself  with  the  most 
complicated  dates  and  historical  events.  Nothing  can 
surpass  the  variety  of  his  matter.  He  extracts  from 
a  subject  all  that  it  contains,  and  does  it  as  none  but 
Wendell  Phillips  can.  His  voice  is  beautifully  musi 
cal,  and  it  is  calculated  to  attract  wherever  it  is  heard. 
He  is  a  man  of  calm  intrepidity,  of  a  patriotic  and 
warm  heart,  with  temper  the  most  gentle,  a  rectitude 
of  principle  entirely  natural,  a  freedom  from  ambition, 
and  a  modesty  quite  singular. 

His  speeches  upon  every  subject  upon  which  he  has 
spoken,  will  compare  favorably  with  anything  ever 
uttered  by  Pitt  or  Sheridan  in  their  palmiest  days. 
No  American  is  so  eagerly  reported  in  Europe,  in 
what  he  says  on  the  platform,  as  Mr.  Phillips.  His 
appeal  for  Cretan  independence  was  circulated  in  the 


THE    ABOLITIONISTS.  397 

language  of  Demosthenes  and  Isocrates  through  Greece 

o       o  o 

and   its   islands,  and   reached   the  ears  of  the  moun 
taineers  of  Crete,  for  whom  he  spoke. 

But  it  is  in  the  Anti-slavery  cause  that  we  love  to 
write  of  him.  As  a  speaker  on  that  platform,  he  has 
never  had  an  equal;  and  the  good  he  has  rendered 
the  slave  by  his  eloquent  speeches  can  never  be  esti 
mated. 

Considering  his  position  in  society,  his  talents  and 
prospects  when  in  youth  he  entered  the  ranks  of  the 
proscribed  and  hated  Abolitionists,  we  feel  that  Mr. 
Phillips  has  sacrificed  more  upon  the  altar  of  freedom 
than  any  other  living  man. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  from  Mr.  Phillips, 
sits  Edmund  Quincy,  the  ripe  scholar  and  highly-cul 
tivated  gentleman  and  interesting  writer.  If  he  is 
not  so  eloquent  a  speaker  as  his  friend  Phillips,  he  is 
none  the  less  staunch  in  his  adherence  to  principle. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  presiding  officers  that  New 
England  can  produce. 

A  little  farther  clown  on  the  same  side  is  Francis 
Jackson.  His  calm  Roman  face,  large  features,  well- 
developed  head,  and  robust-looking  frame  tells  you  at 
once  that  he  is  a  man  of  courage.  lie  was  one  of  the 
first  to  take  his  stand  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Garrison; 
and  when  the  mob  in  1835  broke  up  the  anti-slavery 
meeting  held  by  the  ladies,  Mr.  Jackson,  with  a  moral 
courage  scarcely  ever  equalled,  came  forward  and 
offered  his  private  dwelling  to  them  to  hold  their 
meeting  in. 

Still  farther  down  oil  the  same  side  sits  Maria  Wes- 
tou  Chapman,  the  well-read  and  accomplished  lady, 
the  head  and  heart  of  the  Anti-slavery  Bazaar.  Many 


398  THE"  RISING  SON. 

an  influential  woman  has  been  induced  to  take  part  in 
the  Bazaar  and  Subscription  Festival,  solely  on  ac 
count  of  the  earnest  eloquence  and  polished  magnetism 
of  Mrs.  Chapman.  By  her  side  sits  her  gifted  little 
sister,  Anne  Warren  Weston.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  table  is  Samuel  May,  Jr.,  the  able  and  efficient 
general  agent  of  the  Society.  To  his  perseverance, 
industry,  gentlemanly  manners,  and  good  sense,  the 
Society  owes  much  of  its  success.  In  the  earlier 
days  of  the  movement,  Mr.  May  left  the  pulpit  and  a 
lucrative  salary,  that  he  might  devote  his  time  to  the 
cause  in  which  his  heart  had  long  been  engaged. 
Mr.  May  is  an  earnest  speaker,  and  never  takes  the 
platform  unless  he  has  something  to  say.  He  is  sim 
ple,  plain,  and  one  of  the  best  of  friends.  It  was  the 
good  fortune  of  the  writer  to  be  associated  with  him 
for  a  number  of  years;  and  he  never  looks  back  to 
those  days  but  with  the  best  feeling  and  most  profound 
respect  for  the  moral  character  and  Christian  \\orth  of 
Samuel  May,  Jr. 

Not  far  from  Mr.  May  sat  Charles  F.  Hovey,  the 
princely  Summer  Street  merchant,  the  plain,  honest, 
outspoken  man  whose  heart  felt  the  wrongs  of  the 
oppressed  as  keenly  as  if  he  himself  had  been  one  of 
the  race.  Gathered  since  to  his  heavenly  rest,  he  be 
queathed  a  large  sum  of  money  to  carry  on  the  battle 
for  the  negro's  freedom.  Farther  down  the  table  was 
Eliza  Lee  Follen,  whose  poems  in  favor  of  liberty  have 
so  often  been  sung  in  our  anti-slavery  conventions. 
Sydney  Howard  Gay,  the  polished  writer,  the  editor 
of  the  Society's  organ,  occupied  a  seat  next  to  Mrs. 
Follen.  With  small  frame,  finely-cut  features,  and 
pleasant  voice,  he  is  ever  listened  to  with  marked  atten- 


THE    ABOLITIONISTS.  399 

tion.  Mr.  Gay  is  a  gentleman  in  every  sense  of  the 
term. 

Near  the  end  of  the  table  is  William  I.  Bowditch, 
the  able  scholar,  the  ripe  lawyer,  the  devoted  friend  of 
freedom.  Lastly,  there  is  Charles  K.  Whipple,  the 
"C.  K  .W.,"  of  "The  Liberator/'  and  the  "Xorth,"  of 
the  "Anti-slavery  Standard."  A  stronger  executive 
board  for  a  great  moral  object  probably  never  existed. 
They  were  men  and  women  in  whom  the  public  had 
the  utmost  confidence,  individually,  for  rectitude  of 
character. 

There  wrere  also  present  on  this  occasion  five  persons 
who  were  not  members  of  the  board,  but  whose  long 
and  arduous  labors  entitled  them  to  a  seat  around  the 
table.  These  were  Samuel  J.  May,  Lydia  Maria  Child, 
James  and  Lucretia  Mott,  and  Thomas  Garrett;  and 
of  these  we  shall  now  make  mention. 

Born  in  Boston,  educated  in  her  unsurpassed  schools, 
a  graduate  of  Harvard  University,  and  deeply  imbued 
with  the  spirit  and  teachings  of  the  great  leader  of  our 
salvation,  and  a  philanthropist  by  nature,  Samuel  J. 
May  was  drawn  to  the  side  of  Mr.  Garrison  by  the 
force  of  sympathy.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Phila 
delphia  Convention  in  1833,  at  the  formation  of  the 
American  Anti-slavery  Society,  and  his  name t  is  ap 
pended  to  the  immortal  "Declaration  of  Sentiments," 
penned  by  Garrison,  his  life-long  friend.  When  Pru 
dence  Crandall  was  imprisoned  at  Canterbury,  Connec 
ticut,  for  the  crime  of  teaching  colored  girls  to  read, 
her  most  attached  friend  was  Samuel  J.  May.  He 
defended  the  persecuted  woman,  and  stood  by  her  till 
she  was  liberated.  Although  closely  confined  to  his 
duties  as  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  Mr.  May  gave  much 


400  THE   RISING   SON. 

of  his  time  to  the  slaves'  cause.  As  a  speaker,  he  was 
always  interesting;  for  his  sweet  spirit  and  loving 
nature  won  to  him  the  affectionate  regard  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact.  As  an  Abolitionist,  none 
were  more  true,  more  fearless.  His  house  was  long 
the  home  of  the  fugitive  slaves  passing  through  Syra 
cuse,  New  York,  and  his  church  was  always  open  to 
the  anti-slavery  lecturer  when  others  were  shut  against 
him. 

Lydia  Maria  Child  early  embraced  the  cause  of  the 
enslaved  negro.  Her  sketches  of  some  of  the  intellec 
tual  characters  of  the  race  appeared  more  than  thirty 
years  ago,  and  created  considerable  sensation  from  the 
boldness  with  which  she  advocated  the  black  man's 
equality. 

James  and  Lucretia  Mott  were  amongst  the  first  in 
Pennsylvania  to  take  the  stand  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Gar 
rison  in  defence  of  negro  freedom.  They  were  Aboli 
tionists  in  every  sense  of  the  term,  even  to  their 
clothing  and  food,  for  they  were  amongst  the  earliest 
to  encourage  the  introduction  of  free-labor  goods  as 
a  means  of  breaking  up  slavery,  by  reducing  the  value 
of  the  products  of  the  slave's  toil.  As  a  speaker, 
Mrs.  Mott  was  doubtless  the  most  eloquent  woman 
that  America  ever  produced.  A  highly-cultivated  and 
reflective  mind,  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  ne 
gro's  suffering,  hating  everything  that  savored  of 
oppression,  whether  religiously  or  politically,  and 
possessing  the  brain  and  the  courage,  Mrs.  Mott's 
speeches  were  always  listened  to  with  the  closest  atten 
tion  and  the  greatest  interest. 

Mr.  Mott  took  little  or  no  part  in  public  gather 
ings;  but  his  suggestions  '  on  committees,  and  his 


THE    ABOLITIONISTS.  401 

advice  generally,  were  reliable.  He  gave  of  his  means 
liberally,  and  seconded  every  movement  of  his  noble 
wife. 

Thomas  Garrett  was  an  Abolitionist  from  his  youth 
up;  and  though  the  grand  old  cause  numbered  among 
its  supporters,  poets,  sages,  and  statesmen,  it  had  no 
more  faithful  worker  in  its  ranks  than  Thomas  Garrett. 
The  work  of  this  good  man  lay  in  Delaware,  one  of 
the  meanest  states  in  the  Union,  and  the  services 
which  he  rendered  the  free  colored  people  of  that 
State  in  their  efforts  to  rise  above  the  prejudice  ex 
hibited  against  their  race  can  never  be  estimated. 

But  it  was  as  a  friend  of  the  bondman  escaping  from 
his  oppressor  that  Mr.  Garrett  was  most  widely 
known.  For  more  than  forty  years  he  devoted  himself 
to  aiding  the  runaway  slave  in  getting  his  freedom. 

We  have  written  of  the  executive  officers  of  the 
most  radical  wing  of  the  Anti-slavery  movement,  yet 
there  was  still  another  band  whose  labors  were,  if  pos 
sible,  more  arduous,  and  deserve  as  much  praise  as  any 
of  whom  we  have  made  mention. 

These  were  the  lecturing  agents,  the  men  and  women 
who  performed  the  field  service,  the  most  difficult 
part  of  all  the  work.  They  went  from  city  to  city, 
and  from  town  to  town,  urging  the  claims  of  the  slave 
to  his  freedom;  uttering  truths  that  the  people  were 
not  prepared  for,  and  receiving  in  return,  rotten  eggs, 
sticks,  stones,  and  the  condemnation  of  the  public 
generally.  Many  of  these  laborers  neither  asked  nor 
received  any  compensation;  some  gave  their  lime  and 
paid  their  own  expenses,  satisfied  with  having  an 
opportunity  to  work  for  humanity. 

In  the  front  rank  of  this  heroic  and  fearless  band, 


402  THE   RISING   SON. 

stood  Abby  Kelly  Foster,  the  Joan  of  Arc,  of  the 
anti-slavery  movement.  Born,  we  believe,  in  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  retaining  to  a  great  extent 
the  seriousness  of  early  training,  convinced  of  the 
heiriousness  of  slavery,  she  threw  comfort,  case,  and 
everything  aside,  and  gave  herself,  in  the  bloom  of 
young  womanhood,  to  the  advocacy  of  the  right  of  the 
negro  to  his  freedom.  We  first)  met  Mrs.  Foster 
(then  Miss  Kelly),  about  thirty  years  ago,  at  Buffalo, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  for  the  first  time  lis 
tened  to  a  lecture  against  the  hated  system  from  which 
we  had  so  recently  escaped. 

Somewhat-  above  the  common  height,  slim,  but  well- 
proportioned,  finely-developed  forehead  and  a  pleasing 
countenance,  eyes  bright,  voice  clear,  gestures  a  little 
nervous,  and  dressed  in  a  plain  manner,  Mrs.  Foster's 
appearance  on  that  occasion  made  a  deep  and  lasting 
impression  upon  her  audience.  The  life-like  pictures 
which  she  drew  of  the  helpless  condition  of  her  sisters 
in  chains  brought  tears  to  many  eyes,  and  when  she 
demanded  that  these  chains  should  be  broken  they 
responded  with  wild  applause. 

As  a  speaker,  Mrs.  Foster  is  logical,  forcible;  leap 
ing  from  irony  to  grave  argument.  Her  illustrations, 
anecdotes,  and  figures  are  always  to  the  point.  She  is 
sharp  and  quick  at  repartee.  In  the  earlier  days  of 
the  movement,  she  was  considered  very  able  in  discus 
sion.  At  Buffalo,  where  we  first  heard  her,  she  basted 
one  of  our  ablest  lawyers  until  he  acknowledged  the 
fact,  amid  loud  applause.  Mrs.  Foster  was  at  times 
harsh,  but  not  harsher  than  truth.  She  is  uncom 
promising,  and  always  reliable  in  a  public  meeting 
where  discussion  on  reformatory  questions  is  under  con- 


THE    ABOLITIONISTS.  403 

sidcration.  This  lady  guve  the  best  years  of  her  use 
ful  life  to  the  redemption  of  the  negro  from  slavery. 

We  may  well  give  Stephen  S.  Foster  a  place  by  the 
side  of  his  noble  wife.  He,  too,  embraced  the  cause 
of  the  slave  at  the  dawn  of  the  agitation  of  the  sub 
ject,  and  at  once  became  one  of  its  ablest  advocates. 
In  downright  field-work,  as  a  lecturer,  he  did  more 
than  any  other  man.  Mr.  Foster  was  the  most  un 
popular  of  all  the  anti-slavery  agents;  and  simply 
because  be  "hewed  to  the  line  and  the  plummet,"  not 
caring  in  whose  face  the  chips  flew.  He  was  always  at 
home  in  a  discussion,  and  woe  betide  the  person  who 
fell  into  his  hands.  His  announcement  of  his  subject 
often  startled  his  hearers,  and  even  his  best  friends 
and  associates  would  sometimes  feel  that  he  had  over 
stated  the  question.  But  he  always  more  than  proved 
what  he  had  said  in  the  outset.  In  private  life  he  is 
almost  faultless;  proverbially  honest,  trustworthy,  and 
faithful  in  all  his  dealings,  possessing  in  the  estimation 
of  his  neighbors  a  high  moral  character. 

Parker  Pillsbury  entered  the  field  as  an  advocate  of 
freedom  about  the  same  time  as  did  Mr.  Foster,  and 
battled  nobly  for  the  oppressed. 

Charles  L.  Remond  was,  we  believe,  the  first  man 
of  color  to  take  the  platform  as  a  regular  lecturer  in 
the  anti-slavery  cause,  and  w^s,  no  doubt,  the  ablest 
representative  that  the  race  had  till  the  appearance  of 
Frederick  Douglass,  in  1842.  Mr.  Remond  prided 
himself  more  as  the  representative  of  the  educated  free 
man  of  color,  and  often  alluded  to  the  fact  that  "not 
a  drop  of  slave  blood"  coursed  through  his  veins. 
Mr.  Remond  has  little  or  no  originality,  but  his 
studied  elocutionary  powers,  and  fine  flow  of  language, 


404  THE  RISING    SOX. 

together  with  his  being  a  colored  man,  always  gained 
for  him  an  attentive  hearing.  But  the  genius  and 
originality  of  Frederick  Douglass,  and  his  unadorned 
eloquence,  overshadowed  and  threw  Remond  in  the 
shade.  This  so  soured  the  latter  that  he  never  recov 
ered  from  it,  and  even  at  the  present  time  speaks 
disparagingly  of  his  early  friend  and  associate.  How 
ever,  both  of  these  gentlemen  did  much  to  bring  about 
the  abolition  of  American  Slavery. 

Conspicuous  among  the  advocates  of  freedom,  almost 
from  its  earliest  dawn  to  its  close,  was  Charles  C. 
Burleigh,  the  devoted  friend  of  humanity.  Nature  has 
been  profuse  in  showering  her  gifts  upon  Mr.  Burleigh, 
but  all  have  been  bestowed  upon  his  head  and  heart. 
There  is  a  kind  of  eloquence  which  weaves  its  thread 
around  the  hearer,  and  gradually  draws  him  into  its 
web,  fascinating  him  with  its  gaze,  entangling  him  as 
the  spider  does  the  fly,  until  he  is  fast.  Such  is  the 
eloquence  of  Charles  C.  Burleigh.  As  a  debater,  he  is 
unquestionably  the  ablest  who  took  sides  with  the 
slave.  If  he  did  not  speak  so  fast,  he  would  equal 
Wendell  Phillips;  if  he  did  not  reason  his  subject  out 
of  existence,  he  would  surpass  him.  Cyrus  M.  Bur 
leigh  also  did  good  service  in  the  anti-slavery  cause, 
both  as  a  lecturer  and  editor  of  "The  Pennsylvania 
Freeman." 

If  Lucy  Stone  did  not  come  into  the  field  as  early  as 
some  of  whom  we  have  made  mention,  she  brought 
with  her  when  she  did  an  earnestness  and  enthusiasm 
that  gave  her  an  attentive  audience  wherever  she 
spoke.  Under  the  middle  size,  hair  generally  cut 
short,  round  face,  eyes  sparkling,  not  handsome,  yet 
good  to  look  upon,  always  plainly  dressed,  not  a  single 


THE   ABOLITIONISTS.  405 

dollar  for  diamonds,  but  a  heart  gushing  for  humanity, 
Lucy  Stone  at  once  became  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
the  anti-slavery  speakers.  Her  arguments  are  forcible, 
her  appeals  pathetic,  her  language  plain,  and  at  times 
classical.  She  is  ready  in  debate,  fertile  in  illustra 
tion,  eloquent  in  enunciation,  and  moves  a  congregation 
as  few  can. 

For  real,  earnest  labor,  as  a  leader  of  a  corps  of 
agents  in  a  reformatory  movement,  Susan  B.  Anthony 
has  few  equals.  As  a  speaker,  she  is  full  of  facts  and 
illustrations,  and  at  times  truly  eloquent.  Susan  is 
always  reliable;  and  if  any  of  her  travelling  compan 
ions  are  colored,  her  hawk-eye  is  ever  on  the  watch  to 
see  that  their  rights  are  not  invaded  on  the  score  of 
their  complexion.  The  writer's  dark  skin  thoroughly 
tested  Miss  Anthony's  grit  some  years  ago  at  Cleve 
land,  Ohio;  but  when  weighed,  she  was  not  found 
wanting.  On  that  occasion  she  found  an  efficient 
backer  in  our  able  and  eloquent  friend,  Aaron  M. 
Powell.  These  two,  backed  by  the  strong  voice  and 
earnest  words  of  Andrew  T.  Foss,  brought  the  hotel- 
keeper  to  his  senses;  and  the  writer  was  allowed  to  go 
to  the  dinner-table,  and  eat  with  white  folks.  Mr. 
Powell  has  for  some  years  been  the  sole  editor  of  the 
" Anti-Slavery  Standard,"  and  as  editor  and  speaker 
has  -rendered  a  lasting  service  to  the  cause  of  negro 
freedom.  Andrew  T.  Foss  left  his  pulpit  some  twenty 
years  ago,  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  the  discussion 
of  the  principles  of  liberty,  where  his  labors  were 
highly  appreciated. 

Sallie  Plollie  filled  an  important  niche  on  the  anti- 
slavery  platform.  Her  Orthodox  antecedents,  her 
scriptural  knowledge,  her  prayerful  and  eloquent  ap- 


406  THE    RISING    SON. 

peals  obtained  for  her  admission  into  churches  when 
many  others  were  refused;  yet  she  was  as  uncom 
promising  as  truth. 

Oliver  Johnson  gave  his  young  manhood  to  the 
negro's  cause  when  to  be  an  Abolitionist  cost  more 
than  words.  He  was,  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  move 
ment,  one  of  the  hardest  workers,  both  as  a  lecturer 
and  writer,  that  the  cause  had.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
cogent  reasoner,  a  deep  thinker,  a  ready  debater,  an 
accomplished  writer,  and  an  eloquent  speaker.  He 
has  at  times  edited  the  "Herald  of  Freedom,"  "Anti- 
Slavery  Standard,"  and  "Anti-Slavery  Bugle;"  and 
has  at  all  times  been  one  of  the  most  uncompromising 
and  reliable  of  the  "Old  Guard." 

Henry  C.  Wright  was  also  among  the  early  adher 
ents  to  the  doctrine  of  universal  and  immediate  eman 
cipation,  and  gave  the  cause  the  best  years  of  his  life. 

Giles  B.  Stebbius,  a  ripe  scholar,  an  acute  thinker, 
earnest  and  able  as  a  speaker,  devoted  to  what  he 
conceives  to  be  right,  was  for  years  one  of  the  most 
untiring  of  freedom's  advocates. 

Of  those  who  occasionally  volunteered  their  services 
without  money  and  without  price,  few  struck  harder 
blows  at  the  old  Bastile  of  slavery  than  James  N. 
Buffum,  a  man  of  the  people,  whose  abilities  have 
been  appreciated  and  acknowledged  by  his  election 
as  mayor  of  his  own  city  of  Lynn. 

James  Miller  McKim  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Sentiments,  at  Philadelphia,  in  1833, 
and  ever  after  gave  his  heart  and  his  labors  to  the 
slave's  cause.  For  many  years  the  leading  man  in 
the  Anti-slavery  Society  in  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Mc 
Kim 's  labors  were  arduous,  yet  he  never  swerved 


THE  ABOLITIONISTS.  407 

from  duty.  He  is  a  scholar,  well  read,  and  is  a  good 
speaker,  only  a  little  nervous.  His  round  face  indi 
cates  perseverance  that  will  not  falter,  and  integ 
rity  that  will  not  disappoint.  He  always  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  the  Abolitionists  throughout  the 
country,  and  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  high  moral 
character.  Of  the  underground  railroad  through  Penn- 

o  o 

sylvania,  Mr.  McKirn  knows  more  than  any  man  ex 
cept  William  Still. 

Mary  Grew,  for  her  earnest  labors,  untiring  activity, 
and  truly  eloquent  speeches,  was  listened  to  with  great 
interest  and  attention  wherever  she  spoke.  A  more 
zealous  and  able  friend  the  slave  never  had  in  Penn 
sylvania. 

Lucretia  Mott,  the  most  eloquent  woman  that  America 
ever  produced,  was  a  life-long  Abolitionist,  of  the 
straightest  kind.  For  years  her  clothing,  food,  and 
even  the  paper  that  she  wrote  her  letters  on,  were  the 
products  of  free  labor.  Thirty  years  ago  we  saw  Mrs. 
Mott  take  from  her  pocket  a  little  paper  bag  fi]lcd 
with  sugar,  and  sweeten  her  tea.  We  then  learned 
that  it  was  her  practice  so  to  do  when  travelling,  to 
be  sure  of  having  free  sugar. 

A  phrenologist  would  pronounce  her  head  faultless. 
She  has  a  thoughtful  countenance,  eyes  beaming  with 
intelligence,  and  a  voice  of  much  compass.  Mrs.  Mott 
speaks  hesitatingly  at  times,  when  she  begins  her  re 
marks,  and  then  words  flow  easily,  and  every  word 
has  a  thought.  She  was  always  a  favorite  with  the 
Abolitionists,  and  a  welcome  speaker  at  their  anni 
versary  meetings. 

This  was  the  radical  wing  of  the  Abolitionists, — 
men  and  women  who  believed  mainly  iu  moral  sua- 


408  THE   RISING   SON. 

sion.  Outside  of  these  were  many  others  who  were 
equally  sincere,  and  were  laboring  with  all  their  pow 
ers  to  bring  about  emancipation,  and  to  some  of  them 
I  shall  now  call  attention. 

Some  thirty  years  ago  we  met  for  the  first  time  a 
gentleman  of  noble  personal  appearance,  being  about 
six  feet  in  height,  well-proportioned;  forehead  high 
and  broad;  large  dark  eyes,  full  of  expression;  hair 
brown,  and  a  little  tinged  with  gray.  The  fascination 
of  his  smiling  gaze,  and  the  hearty  shake  of  his  large, 
soft  hand,  made  us  feel  at  home  when  we  were  intro 
duced  to  Gerrit  Smith.  His  comprehensive  and  well- 
cultivated  mind,  his  dignified  and  deliberate  manner 
and  musical  voice  fit  him  for  what  he  is,  —  one  of 
Nature's  noblest  orators.  Speaking  is  not  the  finest 
trait  in  the  character  of  Mr.  Smith,  but  his  great, 
large  heart,  every  pulsation  of  which  beats  for  human 
ity.  He  brought  to  the  negro's  cause  wealth  and 
position,  and  laid  it  all  upon  the  altar  of  his  redemp 
tion.  In  the  year  1846  he  gave  three  thousand  farms 
to  the  same  number  of  colored  men;  and  three  years 
later  he  gave  a  farm  each  to  one  thousand  white  men, 
with  ten  thousand  dollars  to  be  divided  amongst 
them. 

Mr.  Smith  has  spent  in  various  ways  many  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  liberation  and  elevation  of 
the  blacks  of  this  country.  Next  to  Mr.  Smith,  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  is  Beriah  Greene,  whose  long 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  freedom  is  knowu  throughout 
our  land.  Many  of  the  colored  men  whose  career  have 
done  honor  to  the  race,  owe  their  education  to  Mr. 
Greene.  He  is  the  most  radical  churchman  we  know 
of,  always  right  on  the  question  Of  slavery.  He  did 


THE   ABOLITIONISTS.  409 

much  in  the  early  days  of  the  agitation,  and  his 
speeches  were  considered  amongst  the  finest  produc 
tions  on  the  anti-slavery  platform. 

The  old  Abolitionists  of  thirty  years  ago  still  remem 
ber  with  pleasure  the  smiling  face  and  intellectual 
countenance  of  Nathaniel  P.  Rogers,  editor  of  the 
"Herald  of  Freedom,"  a  weekly  newspaper  that  found 
a  welcome  wherever  it  went.  Mr.  Rogers  was  a  man 
of  rare  gifts,  of  a  philosophical  and  penetrating  mind, 
high  literary  cultivation,  quick  perception,  and  of  a 
most  genial  nature.  He  dealt  hard  blows  at  the  pecu 
liar  institution  with  both  his  tongue  and  his  pen.  As 
a  speaker,  he  was  more  argumentative  than  eloquent, 
but  was  always  good  in  a  discussion.  .  As  an  ardent 
friend  of  Mr.  Garrison,  and  a  co-worker  with  him, 
Mr.  Rogers  should  have  been  named  with  the  moral 
suasionists. 

William  Goodell,  a  prolific  writer,  a  deep  thinker, 
a  man  of  great  industry,  and  whose  large  eyes  indicate 
immense  language,  has  labored  long  and  faithfully  for 
justice  and  humanity. 

John  P.  Hale  was  the  first  man  to  make  a  successful 
stand  in  Congress,  and  he  did  his  work  nobly.  His 
free-and-easy  manner,  his  Falstaffian  fun,  and  Crom- 
wellian  courage,  were  always  too  much  for  Foote  and 
his  Southern  associates  in  the  Senate,  and  in  every 
contest  for  freedom  the  New  Hampshire  Senator  came 
off  victorious.  Mr.  Hale  is  a  large,  fat,  social  man, 
fine  head,  pleasing  countenance,  possessing  much  pun 
gent  wit,  irony,  and  sarcasm;  able  and  eloquent  in 
debate,  and  has  always  been  a  true  friend  of  negro 
freedom  and  elevation. 

Charles  Sumner  had  made  his  mark  in  favor  of  hu- 


410  THE   RISING   SON. 

manity,  and  especially  in  behalf  of  the  colored  race, 
long  before  the  doors  of  the  United  States  Senate 
opened  to  admit  him  as  a  member.  In  the  year  1846, 
he  refused  to  lecture  before  a  New  Bedford  lyceum, 
because  colored  citizens  were  not  allowed  to  occupy 
scats  in  common  with  the  whites.  His  lectures  and 
speeches  all  had  the  ring  of  the  right  metal.  His 
career  in  Congress  has  been  one  of  unsurpassed  brill 
iancy.  His  oratorical  efforts  in  the  capital  of  the 
nation  equal  anything  ever  reported  from  the  forums 
of  Rome  or  Athens.  Whatever  is  designed  to  pro 
mote  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the  human  race, 
Mr.  Sumner  has  the  courage  to  advocate  and  defend 
to  the  last. 

In  firmness,  he  may  be  said  to  be  without  a  rival 
on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  and  has  at  times  appeared 
a  little  dogged.  However,  his  foresight  and  sagacity 
show  that  he  is  generally  in  the  right.  Mr.  Sum 
ner  's  efforts  in  favor  of  reform  have  been  ably  sec 
onded  in  Congress  by  his  colleague  and  friend,  Henry 
Wilson,  a  man  of  the  people,  and  from  the  people. 
Without  great  educational  attainments,  rnodest  in  his 
manners,  never  assuming  aristocratic  airs,  plain,  blunt, 
yet  gentlemanly,  Mr.  Wilson  has  always  carried  with 
him  a  tremendous  influence ;  and  his  speeches  exhibit 
great  research  and  much  practical  common  sense.  He 
is  a  hard  worker,  and  in  that  kind  of  industry  which 
is  needed  on  committees,  he  is  doubtless  unequalled. 
As  an  old-time  Whig,  a  Free-soiler,  and  a  Republi 
can,  Mr.  Wilson  has  always  been  an  Abolitionist  of 
the  most  radical  stripe;  and  in  Congress,  has  done  as 
much  for  negro  emancipation,  and  the  elevation  of  the 
blacks,  as  any  living  man. 


THE    ABOLITIONISTS.  411 

Foremost  in  his  own  State,  as  well  as  in  Congress, 
for  many  years,  was  that  good  old  man,  Thaddeus  Ste 
vens,  an  earnest  friend  of  the  poor  man,  whether  white 
or  black.  Strong  in  the  consciousness  of  being  right, 
he  never  shrank  from  any  encounter,  and  nobody  said 
more  in  fewer  words,  or  gave  to  language  a  sharper 
bite,  than  he.  On  the  question  of  slavery,  Mr.  Stevens 
was  uncompromisingly  the  negro's  friend  and  faithful 
advocate. 

Joshua  K.  Giddings,  next  to  John  Quincy  Adams, 
was  the  first  man,  we  believe,  that  really  stirred  up 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  behalf  of  the  slave. 
Mr.  Giddings  was  a  man  without  fear,  entirely  devoted 
to  the  welfare  of  mankind;  not  an  orator,  in  the  ac 
cepted  sense  of  the  term,  but  an  able  debater;  ready 
in  facts  and  illustrations,  and  always  to  be  relied  upon 
when  the  Southerners  attempted  to  encroach  upon  free 
dom.  Mr.  Giddings  never  denied,  even  in  the  earlier 
days  of  the  agitation,  that  he  was  an  Abolitionist. 

George  W.  Julian,  of  Indiana,  entered  the  halls  of 
Congress  as  an  enemy  of  negro  slavery,  and,  up  to  the 
present  time,  stands  firm  to  his  early  convictions. 

Thomas  Russell  began  life  as  a  friend  of  negro  eman 
cipation,  and  wherever  his  eloquent  voice  was  heard, 
it  gave  no  uncertain  sound  on  the  subject  of  freedom. 
The  Judge  is  a  special  favorite  of  the  colored  men  of 
Boston,  and  richly  deserves  it;  for,  as  a  Collector  of 
Customs,  he  has  given  employment  to  a  large  number 
of  the  proscribed  class. 

Charles  W.  Slack,  the  talented  editor  of  "The  Com 
monwealth," — the  outspoken  friend  of  liberty,  whose 
gentlemanly  deportment,  polished  manners,  and  sym 
pathetic  heart  extend  to  the  negro  the  same  cordial 


412  THE   RISING   SON. 

welcome  in  his  office  that  he  gives  to  the  white  man, — 
is  an  old-time  Abolitionist.  The  colored  clerk  in  his 
Eevenue  department  is  prima  facie  evidence  that  he 
has  no  prejudice  against  the  negro.  Both  as  a  speaker 
and  a  writer,  Mr.  Slack  did  the  cause  of  the  slave 
great  service,  when  it  cost  something  to  be  a  friend 
to  the  race. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE    NEW  ERA. 

THE  close  of  the  Rebellion  opened  to  the  negro  a 
new  era  in  his  history.  The  chains  of  slavery  had 
been  severed;  and  although  he  had  not  been  clothed 
with  all  the  powers  of  the  citizen,  the  black  man  was, 
nevertheless,  sure  of  all  his  rights  being  granted,  for 
revolutions  seldom  go  backward.  With  the  beginning 
of  the  work  of  reconstruction,  the  right  of  the  negro 
to  the  ballot  came  legitimately  before  the  country, 
and  brought  with  it  all  the  virus  of  neirro  hate  that 

o  c 

could  be  thought  of.  President  Andrew  Johnson  threw 
the  weight  of  his  official  influence  into  the  scales 
against  the  newly-liberated  people,  which  for  a  time 
cast  a  dark  shadow  over  the  cause  of  justice  and  free 
dom.  Congress,  however,  by  its  Constitutional  amend 
ments,  settled  the  question,  and  clothed  the  blacks 
with  the  powers  of  citizenship;  and  with  their  white 
fellow-citizens  they  entered  the  reconstruction  conven 
tions,  and  commenced  the  work  of  bringing  their  states 
back  into  the  Union.  This  was  a  trying  position  for 
the  recently  enfranchised  blacks;  for  slavery  had  be 
queathed  to  them  nothing  but  poverty,  ignorance,  and 

(413) 


414  THE  RISING  SON. 

dependence  upon  their  former  owners  for  employment 
and  the  means  of  sustaining  themselves  and  their  fami 
lies.  The  transition  through  which  they  passed  during 
the  war,  had  imparted  to  some  a  smattering  of  educa 
tion;  and  this,  with  the  natural  aptitude  of  the  negro 
for  acquiring,  made  the  colored  men  appear  to  advan 
tage  in  whatever  position  they  were  called  to  take 
part. 

The  speeches  delivered  by  some  of  these  men  in  the 
conventions  and  state  legislatures  exhibit  a  depth  of 
thought,  flights  of  eloquence,  and  civilized  statesman 
ship,  that  throw  their  former  masters  far  in  the  back 
ground. 

In  the  work  of  reconstruction,  the  colored  men  had 
the  advantage  of  being  honest  and  sincere  in  what  they 
undertook,  and  labored  industriously  for  the  good  of 
the  country. 

The  riots  in  various  Southern  states,  following  the 
enfranchising  of  the  men  of  color,  attest  the  deep-rooted 
prejudice  existing  with  the  men  who  once  so  misruled 
the  rebellious  states.  In  Georgia,  Tennessee,  and 
Louisiana,  these  outbursts  of  ill  feeling  caused  the  loss 
of  many  lives,  and  the  destruction  of  much  propeity. 
No  true  Union  man,  white  or  black,  was  safe.  The 
Constitutional  amendment,  which  gave  the  ballot  to 
the  black  men  of  the  North  in  common  with  their 
brethren  of  the  South,  aroused  the  old  pro-slavery  feel 
ing  in  the  free  states,  which  made  it  scarcely  safe  for 
the  newly  enfranchised  to  venture  to  the  polls  on  the 
day  of  election  in  some  of  the  Northern  cities.  The 
cry  that  this  was  a  " white  man's  government,"  was 
raised  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  by  the 
Democratic  press,  and  the  Taney  theory  that  * 'black 


THE   NEW   ERA.  415 

men  had  no  rights  that  white  men  were  bound  to  re 
spect,"  was  revived,  with  all  its  negro  hate. 

Military  occupation  of  the  South  was  all  that  saved 
the  freedmen  from  destruction.  Under  it,  they  were 
able  to  take  part  in  the  various  Constitutional  and 
Legislative  elections,  and  to  hold  seats  in  those  bodies. 
As  South  Carolina  had  been  the  most  conspicuous  in 
the  Rebellion,  so  she  was  the  first  to  return  to  the 
Union,  and  to  recognize  the  political  equality  of  the 
race  whom  in  former  days  she  had  bought  and  sold. 
Her  Senate  hall,  designed  to  echo  the  eloquence  of  the 
Calhouns,  the  McDuffies,  the  Hammonds,  the  Hamp 
tons,  and  the  Rhetts,  has  since  resounded  with  the 
speeches  of  men  who  were  once  her  bond  slaves.  Ran- 
sier,  the  negro,  now  fills  the  chair  of'President  of  the 
Senate,  where  once  sat  the  proud  and  haughty  Cal- 
houn;  while  Nash,  the  tall,  gaunt,  full-blooded  negro, 
speaks  in  the  plantation  dialect  from  the  desk  in 
which  Wade  Hampton  in  former  days  stood.  The 
State  is  represented  in  Congress  by  Elliott,  Rainey, 
and  De  Large.  South  Carolina  submitted  quietly  to 
her  destiny. 

Not  so,  however,  with  Georgia.  At  the  election 
in  November,  1867,  for  members  to  the  State  Con 
vention,  thirty  thousand  white  and  eighty  thousand 
colored  votes  were  polled,  and  a  number  of  colored 
delegates  elected.  A  Constitution  was  framed  and 

o 

ratified,  and  a  Legislature  elected  under  it  was  con 
vened.  After  all  this,  supposing  they  had  passed  be 
yond  Congressional  control,  the  Rebel  element  in  the 
Legislature  asserted  itself;  and  many  of  those  whose 
disabilities  had  been  removed  by  the  State  Convention, 
which  comprised  a  number  of  colored  members,  joined 


416  THE    RISING    SON. 

in  the  declaration  which  was  made  by  that  Legislature, 
that  a  man  having  more  than  one-eighth  of  African 
blood  in  his  veins  was  ineligible  to  office. 

These  very  men  to  whom  the  Republican  party 
extended  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  citizenship,  of 
which  they  had  deprived  themselves,  denied  political 
equality  to  a  large  majority  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
Twenty-eight  members  were  expelled  on  December  22, 
1869;  an  Act  of  Congress  was  passed  requiring  the  re 
assembling  of  the  persons  declared  elected  by  the 
military  commander,  the  restoration  of  the  expelled 
members,  and  the  rejection  of  others,  who  were  dis 
qualified. 

The  expulsion  of  the  ex-rebels  from  the  Georgia 
Legislature,  and*  the  admission  of  the  loyal  colored 
men,  whose  seats  had  been  forcibly  taken  from  them, 
had  a  good  effect  upon  all  the  Southern  States,  for  it 
showed  that  the  national  administration  was  deter 
mined  that  justice  should  be  done. 

The  prompt  admission  of  Hiram  R.  Revels  to  a  seat 
in  the  United  States  Seriate  from  Mississippi,  showed 
that  progress  was  the  watch-word  of  the  Republican 
party.  The  appointments  of  E.  D.  Bassett  as  Minister 
to  Hayti,  and  J.  Milton  Turner  as  Consul-General  to 
Liberia,  set  at  rest  all  doubt  with  regard  to  the  views 
of  President  Grant,  and  the  negro's  political  equality. 

In  1869,  colored  men,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  were  drawn  as  jurors,  and 
served  with  white  men.  This  was  the  crowning  event 
of  that  glorious  emancipation  which  began  at  the  capi 
tal,  and  radiated  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 

'  O  »-- 

the   nation.     Since   then,  one  by  one,  distinguishing 
lines   have   been  erased,  and   now  the  black   man   is 


THE    NEW   ERA.  417 

deemed  worthy  to  participate  in  all  the  privileges  of 
an  American  citizen. 

The  election  of  Oscar  J.  Dunn  as  Lieutenant-Gover 
nor  of  Louisiana,  was  a  triumph  which  gladdened  the 
hearts  of  his  race  from  Maine  to  California.  Alabama 
sent  B.  S.  Turner  to  Congress;  Florida,  J.  T.  Walls, 
while  colored  men  entered  the  Legislative  halls  of  sev 
eral  states  not  named  in  this  connection. 

The  National  Republican  Convention,  held  at  Phila 
delphia  in  June,  1872,  received  as  delegates  a  number 
of  colored  men,  and  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  Presidential  conventions,  the  negro's  voice  was 
heard  and  applauded. 

Education  is  what  we  now  need,  and  education  we 
must  have,  at  all  hazards.  Wilberforce  and  Avery 
Colleges,  and  Lincoln  University,  have  all  done  good 
service.  Howard  University,  Lincoln  Institute,  Hamp 
ton  Manual  Labor  School,  and  Fisk  University,  are 
harbingers  of  light  to  our  people.  But  we  need  an 
educated  ministry;  and  until  we  have  it,  the  masses 
will  grope  in  darkness.  The  cause  of  Temperance, 
that  John  the  Baptist  of  reforms,  must  be  introduced 
into  every  community,  and  every  other  method  re 
sorted  to  by  the  whites  for  their  elevation  should  be 
used  "by  the  colored  men. 

Our  younsj   men   must   be  encouraged  to  enter  the 

i/ 

various   professions,  and   to   become   mechanics,   a:id 
thereby  lay  the  foundation  for  future  usefulness. 

An  ignorant  man  will  trust  to  luck  for  success;   an 
educated   man  will   make   success.     God  helps  those 
who  help  themselves. 
•27 


CHAPTER  L. 

REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN. 

IN  our  Sketches  of  Representative  Men  and  Women, 
some  will  be  found  to  have  scarcely  more  than  a  local 
reputation;  but  they  are  persons  who  have  contributed, 
of  their  ability,  towards  the  Freedom  of  the  Race,  and 
should  not  be  forgotten.  Others  bid  fair  to  become 
distinguished  in  the  future.  We  commence  with  our 
first  hero :  — 

CRISPUS  ATTUCKS. 

THE  principle  that  taxation  and  representation  were 
inseparable  was  in  accordance  with  the  theory,  the 
genius,  and  the  precedents  of  British  legislation;  and 
this  principle  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  intention 
ally  invaded.  The  American  colonies  were  not  repre 
sented  in  Parliament;  yet  an  act  was  passed  by  that 
body,  the  tendency  of  which  was  to  invalidate  all  right 
and  title  to  their  property.  This  was  the  "Stamp 
Act,"  of  March  23,  1765,  which  ordained  that  no 
sale,  bond,  note  of  hand,  nor  other  instrument  of  writ 
ing,  should  be  valid,  unless  executed  on  paper  bearing 
/v»e  stamp  prescribed  by  the  home  government.  The 

(418) 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AXD   WOMEN.  419 

intelligence  of  the  passage  of  the  stamp  act  at  once 
roused  the  indignation  of  the  liberty-loving  portion 
of  the  people  of  the  colonies,  and  meetings  were  held 
at  various  points  to  protest  against  this  high-handed 
measure. 

Massachusetts  was  the  first  to  take  a  stand  in  oppo 
sition  to  the  mother  country.  The  merchants  and 
traders  of  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia  en 
tered  into  non-importation  agreements,  with  a  view 
of  obtaining  a  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  law.  Under 
the  pressure  of  public  sentiment,  the  stamp  act  offi 
cers  gave  in  their  resignations.  The  eloquence  of 
William  Pitt  and  the  sagacity  of  Lord  Camdeu  brought 
about  a  repeal  of  the  stamp  act  in  the  British  Parlia 
ment.  A  new  ministry,  in  17G7,  succeeded  in  getting 
through  the  House  of  Commons  a  bill  to  tax  the  tea 
imported  into  the  American  colonies,  and  it  received 
the  royal  assent.  Massachusetts  again  took  the  lead 
in  opposing  the  execution  of  this  last  act,  and  Boston 
began  planning  to  take  the  most  conspicuous  part  in 
the  great  drama.  The  agitation  in  the  colonies  pro 
voked  the  home  government,  and  power  was  given  to 
the  governor  of  Massachusetts  to  take  notice  of  all 
persons  who  might  offer  any  treasonable  objections  to 
these  oppressive  enactments,  that  the  same  might  be 
sent  home  to  England  to  be  tried  there.  Lord  North 
was  now  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  no  leniency  was  to 
be  shown  to  the  colonies.  The  concentration  of  Brit 
ish  troops  in  large  numbers  at  Boston  convinced  the 
people  that  their  liberties  were  at  stake,  and  they 
began  to  rally. 

A  crowded  and  enthusiastic  meeting,  held  in  Boston, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  17G9,  AVUS  addressed  by 


420  THE   RISING   SOX. 

the  ablest  talent  that  the  progressive  clement  could 
produce.  Standing  in  the  back  part  of  the  hall,  eagerly 
listening  to  the  speakers,  was  a  dark  mulatto  man,  very 
tall,  rather  good-looking,  and  apparently,  about  fifty 
years  of  age.  This  was  Crispus  Attucks.  Though 
taking  no  part  in  the  meeting,  he  was  nevertheless 
destined  to  be  conspicuous  in  the  first  struggle  in 
throwing  off  the  British  yoke.  Twenty  years  previous 
to  this,  Attucks  was  the  slave  of  William  Brouno,  Esq., 
of  Framingham,  Massachusetts;  but  his  was  a  heart 
beating  for  freedom,  and  not  to  be  kept  in  the  chains 
of  mental  or  bodily  servitude. 

From  the  "Boston  Gazette"  of  Tuesday,  November 
20,  1750,  I  copy  the  following  advertisement:  — 

"Ran  away  from  his  master  William  Brouno  Fram 
ingham,  on  the  30th  of  Sept.,  last,  a  Molatto  Fellow, 
about  27  years  of  Age  named  Crispus,  well  set,  six 
feet  2  inches  high,  short  curl'd  Hair,  knees  nearer 
together  than  common;  had  on  a  light  coloured  Bear 
skin  Coat,  brown  Fustian  jacket,  new  Buckskin 
Breeches,  blew  yarn  Stockins  and  Checkered  Shirt. 
Whoever  shall  take  up  said  Runaway,  and  convey 
him  to  his  above  said  Master  at  Framingham,  shall 
have  Ten  Pounds,  old  Tenor  Reward  and  all  necessary 
charges  paid." 

The  above  is  a  verbatim  et  literatim  advertisement 
for  a  runaway  slave  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  years 
ago.  Whether  Mr.  Brouno  succeeded  in  recapturing 
Crispus  or  not,  we  are  left  in  the  dark. 

Ill-feeling  between  the  mother  country  and  her  colo 
nial  subjects  had  been  gaining  ground,  while  British 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND   WOMEN.  421 

troops  were  concentrating  at  Boston.  On  the  5th  of 
March,  1770,  the  people  were  seen  early  congregating 
at  the  corners  of  the  principal  streets,  at  Dock  Square, 
and  near  the  Custom  House.  Captain  Preston,  with 
a  body  of  redcoats,  started  out  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  order  in  the  disaffected  town,  and  was  hissed 
at  by  the  crowds  in  nearly  every  place  where  he  ap 
peared.  The  day  passed  off  without  any  outward 
manifestation  of  disturbance,  but  all  seemed  to  feel 
that  something  would  take  place  after  nightfall.  The 
doubling  of  the  guard  in  and  about  the  Custom  House 
showed  the  authorities  felt  an  insecurity  that  they  did 
not  care  to  express.  The  lamps  in  Dock  Square  threw 
their  light  in  the  angry  faces  of  a  large  crowd  who 
appeared  to  be  waiting  for  the  crisis,  in  whatever  form 
it  should  come.  A  part  of  Captain  Preston's  company 
was  making  its  way  from  the  Custom  House,  when 
they  were  met  by  the  crowd  from  Dock  Square,  headed 
by  the  black  man  Attucks,  who  was  urging  them  to 
meet  the  redcoats,  and  drive  them  from  the  streets. 
* 'These  rebels  have  no  business  here,"  said  he;  "let's 
drive  them  away."  The  people  became  enthusiastic, 
their  brave  leader  grew  more  daring  in  his  language 
and  attitude,  while  the  soldiers  under  Captain  Preston 
appeared  to  give  way.  "Come  on!  don't  be  afraid!" 
cried  Attucks.  "They  dare  not  shoot;  and,  if  they 
dare,  let  them  do  it." 

Stones  and  sticks,  with  which  the  populace  were 
armed,  were  freely  used,  to  the  great  discomfiture 
of  tho  English  soldiers.  "Don't  hesitate!  come  on! 
We'll  drive  these  rebels  out  of  Boston!"  were  the 
last  words  heard  from  tho  lips  of  the  colored  man,  for 
the  sharp  crack  of  muskets  silenced  his  voice,  and 


422  THE    RISING    SOX. 

he  fell  weltering  in  his  blood.  Two  balls  had  pierced 
his  sable  breast.  Thus  died  Crispus  Attacks,  the  first 
martyr  to  American  liberty,  and  the  inaugurator  of  the 
revolution  that  was  destined  to  take  from  the  crown  of 
George  the  Third  its  brightest  star.  An  immense  con 
course  of  citizens  followed  the  remains  of  the  hero  to 
its  last  resting-place,  and  his  name  was  honorably 
mentioned  in  the  best  circles.  The  last  words,  the 
daring,  and  the  death  of  Attucks  gave  spirit  and  enthu 
siasm  to  the  revolution,  and  his  heroism  was  imitated 
by  botli  whites  and  blacks.  His  name  was  a  rallying 

cry  for  the  brave  colored  men  who  fought  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker's  Hill.  In  the  gallant  defence  of  Ivcdbank, 
where  four  hundred  blacks  met  and  defeated  fifteen 
hundred  Hessians,  headed  by  Count  Donop,  the  thought 
of  Attucks  filled  them  with  ardor.  When  Colonel 
Green  fell  at  Grotou,  surrounded  by  his  black  troops 
who  perished  with  him,  they  went  into  the  battle 
feeling  proud  of  the  opportunity  of  imitating  the  first 
martyr  of  the  American  revolution. 

No  monument  has  yet  been  erected  to  him.  An 
effort  was  made  in  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  a 
few*  years  since,  but  without  success.  Five  genera 
tions  of  accumulated  prejudice  against  the  negro  had 
excluded  from  the  American  mind  all  inclination  to 
do  justice  to  one  of  her  bravest  sons.  Now  that 
slavery  is  abolished,  we  may  hope,  in  future  years, 
to  see  a  monument  raised  to  commemorate  the  heroism 
of  Crispus  Attucks. 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  423 


PHILLIS  WIIEATLEY. 

IN  the  year  17G1,  when  Boston  had  her  slave  market, 
and  the  descendants  of  the  Pilgrims  appeared  to  be  the 
most  pious  and  God-fearing  people  in  the  world,  Mrs. 
John  Whcatlcy  went  into  the  market  one  day,  for  the 
purpose  of  selecting  and  purchasing  a  girl  for  her  own 
use.  Among  the  group  of  children  just  imported  from 
the  African  coast  was  a  delicately -built,  rather  good- 
looking  child  of  seven  or  eight  years,  apparently  suf 
fering  from  the  recent  sea-voyage  and  change  of 
climate.  Mrs.  Wheatley's  heart  was  touched  at  the 
interesting  countenance  and  humble  modesty  of  this 
little  stranger.  The  lady  bought  the  child,  and  she 
was  named  Phillis.  Struck  with  the  slave's  uncommon 
brightness,  the  mistress  determined  to  teach  her  to 
read,  which  she  did  with  no  difficulty.  The  child  soon 
mastered  the  English  language,  with  which  she  was 

C3  CO7 

totally  unacquainted  when  she  landed  upon  the  Ameri 
can  shores. 

Her  school  lessons  were  all  perfect,  and  she  drank 
in  the  Scriptural  teachings  as  if  by  intuition.  At  the 
age  of  twelve,  she  could  write  letters  and  keep  up  a 
correspondence  that  would  have  done  honor  to  one 
double  her  years.  Mrs.  Wheatley,  seeing  her  superior 
genius,  no  longer  regarded  Phillis  as  a  servant,  but 
took  her  as  a  companion.  It  was  not  surprising  that  the 
slave-girl  should  be  an  object  of  attraction,  astonish 
ment,  and  attention  with  the  refined  and  highly- 
cultivated  society  that  weekly  assembled  in  the  draw 
ing-room  of  the  \Yheatleys. 

As  Phillis  grew  up  to  womanhood,  her  progress  and 


424  TIIE   RISING   SON. 

attainments  kept  pace  with  the  promise  of  her  earlier 
years.  She  drew  around  her  the  best  educated  of  the 
white  ladies,  and  attracted  the  attention  and  notice  of 
the  literary  characters  of  Boston,  who  supplied  her 
with  books,  and  encouraged  the  ripening  of  her  intel 
lectual  powers.  She  studied  the  Latin  tongue,  and 
translated  one  of  Ovid's  tales,  which  was  no  sooner 
put  in  print  in  America,  than  it  was  republished  in 
London,  with  elegant  commendations  from  the  reviews. 

In  1773,  a  small  volume  of  her  poems,  containing 
thirty-nine  pieces,  was  published  in  London,  and  dedi 
cated  to  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon.  The  genuine 
ness  of  this  work  was  established  in  the  first  page  of 
the  volume,  by  a  document  signed  by  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts,  the  lieutenant-governor,  her  master, 
and  fifteen  of  the  most  respectable  and  influential  citi 
zens  of  Boston,  who  were  acquainted  with  her  talents 
and  the  circumstances  of  her  life.  Her  constitution 
being  naturally  fragile,  she  was  advised  by  her  physi 
cian  to  take  a  sea  voyage,  as  the  means  of  restoring  her 
declining  health. 

Phillis  was  emancipated  by  her  master  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  and  sailed  for  England.  On  her 
arrival,  she  was  received  and  admired  in  the  first  cir 
cles  of  London  society;  and  it  was  at  that  time  that 
her  poems  were  collected  and  published  in  a  volume, 
with  a  portrait  and  a  memoir  of  the  authoress.  Phil- 
lid  returned  to  America,  and  married  Dr.  Peters,  a 
man  of  her  own  color,  and  of  considerable  talents. 
Her  health  began  rapidly  to  decline,  and  she  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six  years,  in  1780.  Fortunately 
rescued  from  the  fate  that  awaits  the  victims  of  the 
slave-trade,  this  injured  daughter  of  Africa  had  an 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  425 

opportunity  of  developing  the  genius  that  God  had 
given  her,  and  of  showing  to  the  world  the  great  wrong 
done  to  her  race. 

Although  her  writings  are  not  free  from  imperfec 
tions  of  style  and  sentiment,  her  verses  are  full  of 
philosophy,  beauty,  and  sublimity.  It  cost  her  no 
effort  to  round  a  period  handsomely,  or  polish  a  sen 
tence  until  it  became  transparent  with  splendor.  She 
was  easy,  forcible,  and  eloquent  in  language,  and 
needed  but  health  and  a  few  more  years  of  experience 
to  have  made  her  a  poet  of  greater  note. 


BENJAMIN  BANNEKER. 

THE  services  rendered  to  science,  to  liberty,  and  to 
the  intellectual  character  of  the  negro  by  Banneker, 
are  too  great  for  us  to  allow  his  name  to  sleep,  and  his 

<renius  and  merits  to  remain  hidden  from  the  world. 

* 

Benjamin  Banneker  was  born  in  the  State  of  Mary 
land,  in  the  year  1732,  of  pure  African  parentage; 
their  blood  never  having  been  corrupted  by  the  intro 
duction  of  a  drop  of  Anglo-Saxon.  His  father  was  a 
slave,  and  of  course  could  do  nothing  towards  the 
education  of  the  child.  The  mother,  however,  being 
free,  suceeded  in  purchasing  the  freedom  of  her  hus 
band,  and  they,  with  their  son,  settled  on  a  few  acres 
of  land,  where  Benjamin  remained  during  the  lifetime 
of  his  parents. 

Ilis  entire  schooling  was  gained  from  an  obscure 
country  school,  established  for  the  education  of  the 


426  THE  RISING   SON. 

children  of  free  negroes;  and  these  advantages  were 
poor,  for  the  boy  appears  to  have  finished  studying 
before  he  arrived  at  his  fifteenth  year.  Although  out 
of  school,  Banneker  was  still  a  student,  and  read  with 
great  care  and  attention  such  books  as  he  could  get. 
Mr.  George  Ellicott,  a  gentleman  of  fortune  and  con 
siderable  literary  taste,  and  who  resided  near  to  Benja 
min,  became  interested  in  him,  and  lent  him  books 
from  his  large  library.  Among  these  books  were 
Mayer's  Tables,  Fergusson's  Astronomy,  and  Lead- 
beater's  Lunar  Tables.  A  few  old  and  imperfect 
astronomical  instruments  also  found  their  way  into  the 
boy's  hands,  all  of  which  he  used  with  great  benefit  to 
his  own  mind. 

Banneker  took  delight  in  the  study  of  the  languages, 
and  soon  mastered  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  German. 
He  was  also  proficient  in  the  French.  The  classics 
were  not  neglected  by  him,  and  the  general  literary 
knowledge  which  he  possessed  caused  Mr.  Ellicott  to 
regard  him  as  the  most  learned  man  in  the  town,  and 

v^ ' 

he  never  failed  to  introduce  Banneker  to  his  most  dis 
tinguished  guests. 

About  this  time,  Benjamin  turned  his  attention  par 
ticularly  to  Astronomy,  and  determined  on  making  cal 
culations  for  an  almanac,  and  completed  a  set  for  the 
whole  year.  Encouraged  by  this  attempt,  he  entered 
upon  calculations  for  subsequent  years,  which,  as  well 
as  the  former,  he  began  and  finished  without  the  least 
assistance  from  any  person  or  books  than  those  already 
mentioned;  so  that  whatever  merit  is  attached  to  his 
performance  is  exclusively  his  own. 

He  published  an  almanac  in  Philadelphia  for  the 
years  1792-3-4-5,  and  which  contained  his  calcula- 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  427 

tions,  exhibiting  the  different  aspects  of  the  planets,  a 
table  of  the  motions  of  the  sun  and  moon,  their  risinsrs 

o 

and  settings,  and  the  courses  of  the  bodies  of  the  plane 
tary  system. 

By  this  time,.Banneker's  acquirements  had  become 
generally  known,  and  the  best  scholars  in  the  country 
opened  correspondence  with  him.  Goddard  &  Angell, 
the  well-known  Baltimore  publishers,  engaged  his  pen 
for  their  establishment,  and  became  the  publishers  of 
his  almanacs.  A  copy  of  his  first  production  was  sent 
to  Thomas  Jefferson,  together  with  a,  letter  intended 
to  interest  the  great  statesman  in  the  cause  of  nejrro 

o  o 

emancipation  and  the  elevation  of  the  negro  race,  in 
which  he  says:  — 

"It  is  a  truth  too  well  attested  to  need  a  proof  here, 
that  we  are  a  race  of  beings  who  have  Ions:  labored 

^  O 

under  the  abuse  and  censure  of  the  world;  that  we 
have  long  been  looked  upon  with  an  eye  of  contempt, 
and  considered  rather  as  brutish  than  human,  and 
scarcely  capable  of  mental  endowments.  I  hope'  I  may 
safely  admit,  in  consequence  of  the  report  which  has 
reached  me,  that  you  are  a  man  far  less  inflexible  'in 
sentiments  of  this  nature  than  many  others;  that  you 
are  measurably  friendly  and  well  disposed  towards  us, 
and  that  you  are  willing  to  lend  your  aid  and  assistance 
for  our  relief  from  those  many  distresses  and  numerous 
calamities  to  which  we  are  reduced. 

"If  this  is  founded  in  truth,  I  apprehend  you  will 
embrace  every  opportunity  to  eradicate  that  train  of 
absurd  and  false  ideas  and  opinions  which  so  generally 
prevail  with  respect  to  us,  and  that  your  sentiments  are 
concurrent  with  mine, — which  are,  that  one  universal 
Father  hath  given  being  to  us  all ;  that  he  hath  not 


428  THE    RISING    SON. 

only  made  us  all  of  one  flesh,  but  that  he  hath  also, 
without  partiality,  afforded  us  all  the  same  sensations, 
and  endowed  us  all  with  the  same  faculties;  and  that, 
however  variable  we  may  be  in  society  or  religion, 
however  diversified  in  situation  or  in  color,  we  arc  all 
of  the  same  family,  and  stand  in  the  same  relation  to 
him.  If  these  are  sentiments  of  which  you  are  fully 
persuaded,  you  cannot  but  acknowledge  that  it  is  the 
indispensable  duty  of  those  who  maintain  the  rights 
of  human  nature,  and  who  profess  the  obligations  of 
Christianity,  to  extend  their  power  and  influence  to  the 
relief  of  every  part  of  the  human  race  from  whatever 
burden  or  oppression  they  may  unjustly  labor  under; 
and  this,  I  apprehend  a  full  conviction  of  the  truth 
and  obligation  of  these  principles  should  lead  all  to. 

"I  have  long  been  convinced  that  if  your  love  for 
yourselves,  and  for  those  inestimable  laws  which  pre 
served  to  you  the  rights  of  human  nature,  is  founded  on 
sincerity,  ^ou  cannot  help  being  solicitous  that  every 
individual,  of  whatever  rank  or  distinction,  might  with 
you  equally  enjoy  the  blessings  thereof;  neither  can 
you  rest  satisfied  short  of  the  most  active  effusion  of 
your  exertions,  in  order  to  effect  their  promotion  from 
any  state  of  degradation  to  which  the  unjustifiable 
cruelty  and  barbarism  of  men  may  have  reduced  them. 

"I  freely  and  cheerfully  acknowledge  that  I  am  one 
of  the  African  race,  and  in  that  color  which  is  natural 
to  them,  of  the  deepest  dye;  and  it  is  under  a  sense  of 
the  most  profound  gratitude  to  the  Supreme  Ruler  of 
the  universe,  that  I  now  confess  to  you  that  I  am  not 
under  that  state  of  tyrannical  thraldom  and  inhuman 
captivity  to  which  too  many  of  my  brethren  are 
doomed:  but  that  I  have  abundantly  tasted  of  the 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  429 

fruition  of  those  blessings  -which  proceed  from  that 
free  and  unequalled  liberty  with  which  you  are  favored, 
and  which  I  hope  you  will  willingly  allow  you  have 
mercifully  received  from  the  immediate  hand  of  that 
Being  from  whom  proceedeth  every  good  and  perfect 


"Your  knowledge  of  the  situation  of  my  brethren  is 
too  extensive  to  need  a  recitnl  here;  neither  shall  I 
presume  to  prescribe  methods  by  which  they  may  be 
relieved,  otherwise  than  by  recommending  to  you  and 
to  others  to  wean  yourselves  from  those  narrow  preju 
dices  which  you  have  imbibed  with  respect  to  them, 
and,  as  Job  proposed  to  his  friends,  'put  your  soul  in 
their  souls'  stead.'  Thus  shall  your  hearts  be  en 
larged  with  kindness  and  benevolence  towards  them; 
and  thus  shall  you  need  neither  the  direction  of  myself 
or  others  in  what  manner  to  proceed  herein. 
The  calculation  for  this  almanac  is  the  production  of 
my  arduous  study  in  my  advanced  stage  of  life;  for 
having  lon<*  had  unbounded  desires  co  become  ac- 

o  o 

quainted  with  the  secrets  of  nature,  I  have  had  to 
gratify  my  curiosity  herein  through  my  own  assiduous 
application  to  astronomical  study,  in  which  I  need  not 
recount  to  you  the  many  difficulties  and  disadvantages 
which  I  have  had  to  encounter." 

Mr.  Jefferson  at  once  replied,  and  said:  — 
"I  thank  you  sincerely  for  your  letter  and  the 
almanac  it  contained.  Nobody  wishes  more  than  I  do 
to  see  such  proofs  as  you  exhibit,  that  Nature  has  given 
to  our  black  brethren  talents  equal  to  those  of  the  other 
colors  of  men,  and  that  the  appearance  of  the  want  of 
them  is  owing  merely  to  the  degraded  condition  of  their 
existence,  both  in  Africa  and  America.  I  can  add  with 


430  THE   KISING   SON. 

truth,  that  nobody  wishes  more  ardently  to  see  a  good 
system  commenced  for  raising  their  condition,  both  of 
their  body  and  their  mind,  to  what  it  ought  to  be,  as 
far  as  the  imbecility  of  their  present  existence,  and 
other  circumstances,  which  cannot  be  neglected,  will 
admit.  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  sending  your 
almanac  to  Monsieur  de  Condorcet,  secretary  of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris,  and  a  member  of  the 
Philanthropic  Society,  because  I  consider  it  as  a  docu 
ment  to  which  your  whole  color  have  a  right,  for  their 
justification  against  the  doubts  which  have  been  enter 
tained  of  them." 

The  letter  from  Banneker,  together  with  the  almanac, 
create.d  in  the  heart  of  Mr.  Jefferson  a  fresh  feeling  of 

o 

enthusiasm  in  behalf  of  freedom,  and  especially  for  the 
negro,  which  ceased  only  with  his  life.  The  American 
statesman  wrote  to  Brissot,  the  celebrated  French 
writer,  in  which  he  made  enthusiastic  mention  of  the 
"Negro  Philosopher."  At  the  formation  of  the  " So 
ciety  of  the  Friends  of  the  Blacks,"  at  Paris,  by 
Lafayette,  Brissot,  Bar  nave,  Condorcet,  and  Gregoire, 
the  name  of  Banneker  was  again  and  again  referred  to 
to  prove  the  equality  of  the  races.  Indeed,  the  genius 
of  the  "Negro  Philosopher"  did  much  towards  giving 
liberty  to  the  people  of  St.  Domingo.  In  the  British 
House  of  Commons,  Pitt,  Wilberforce,  and  Buxton 
often  alluded  to  Banneker  by  name,  as  a  man  fit  to  fill 
any  position  in  society.  At  the  setting  off  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia  for  the  capital  of  the  federal  govern 
ment,  Banneker  was  invited  by  the  Maryland  commis 
sioners,  and  took  an  honorable  part  in  the  settlement 
of  the  territory.  But,  throughout  all  his  intercourse 
with  men  of  influence,  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  con- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  431 

dition  of  his  race,  and  ever  urged  the  emancipation 
and  elevation  of  the  slave.  He  well  knew  that  every 
thing  that  was  founded  upon  the  admitted  inferiority 
of  natural  right  in  the  African  was  calculated  to  de- 

o 

grade  him  and  bring  him  nearer  to  the  foot  of  the 
oppressor,  and  he  therefore  never  failed  to  allude  to 
the  equality  of  the  races  when  with  those  whites  whom 
he  could  influence.  He  always  urged  self-elevation 
upon  the  colored  people  whom  he  met.  He  felt  that 
to  deprive  the  black  man  of  the  inspiration  of  ambition, 
of  hope,  of  wealth,  of  standing,  among  his  brethren  of 
the  earth,  was  to  take  from  him  all  incentives  to  mental 
improvement. 

What  husbandman  incurs  the  toil  of  seed-time  and 
culture,  except  with  a  view  to  the  subsequent  enjoy 
ment  of  a  golden  harvest?  Banneker  was  endowed  by 
Nature  with  all  those  excellent  qualifications  which  are 
necessary  previous  to  the  accomplishment  of  a  great 
man.  His  memory  was  large  and  tenacious,  yet,  by  a 
curious  felicity,  chiefly  susceptible  of  the  finest  im 
pressions  it  received  from  the  best  authors  he  read, 
which  he  always  preserved  in  their  primitive  strength 
and  amiable  order.  He  had  a  quickness  of  apprehen 
sion  and  a  vivacity  of  understanding  which  easily  took 
in  and  surmounted  the  most  subtile  and  knotty  parts 
of  mathematics  and  metaphysics.  He  possessed  in  a 
larsre  decree  that  genius  which  constitutes  a  man  of 

O  ^  ^ 

letters;  that  equality,  without  which,  judgment  is  cold, 
and  knowledge  is  inert;  that  energy  uhich  collects, 
combines,  amplifies,  and  animates. 

He  knew  every  branch  of  history,  both  natural  and 
civil;  he  had  read  all  the  original  historians  of  Eng 
land,  France,  and  Germany,  and  was  a  great  antiqua- 


432  THE    RISING    SON. 

rian.  Criticism,  metaphysics,  morals,  politics,  voy 
ages,  and  travels,  were  all  studied  and  well  digested  by 
him.  With  such  a  fund  of  knowledge,  his  conversation 
was  equally 'interesting,  instructive,  and  entertaining. 
Banneker  was  so  favorably  appreciated  by  the  first 
families  in  Virginia,  that  in  1803  he  was  invited  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  then  President  of  the  United  States,  to 
visit  him  at  Montieello,  where  the  statesman  had  gone 
for  recreation.  But  he  was  too  infirm  to  undertake 
the  journey.  He  died  the  following  year,  aged  sev 
enty-two.  Like  the  golden  sun  that  has  sunk  beneath 
the  western  horizon,  but  still  throws  upon  the  world, 
which  ho  sustained  and  enlightened  in  his  career,  the 
reflected  beams  of  his  departed  genius,  his  name  can 
only  perish  with  his  language. 

Banneker  believed  in  the  divinity  of  reason,  and  in 
the  omnipotence  of  the  human  understanding,  with 
Liberty  for  its  handmaid.  The  intellect,  impregnated 
by  science,  and  multiplied  by  time,  it  appeared  to  him, 
must  triumph  necessarily  over  all  the  resistance  of 
matter.  He  had  faith  in  liberty,  truth,  and  virtue. 
His  remains  still  rest  in  the  slave  state  where  he  lived 
and  died,  with  no  stone  to  mark  the  spot,  ur  tell  that  it 
is  the  grave  cf  Benjamin  Banneker.  He  labored  inces 
santly,  lived  irreproachably,  and  died  in  the  literary 
harness,  universally  esteemed  and  regretted. 


WILLIAM  P.  QUINN. 

THE  man  who  lays  aside  home  comforts,  and  willingly 
becomes  a  missionary  to  the  poorest  of  the  poor,  de- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  433 

eervcs  the  highest  praise  that  his  fellow-men  can  bestow 
upon  him.  After  laboring  faithfully  for  the  upbuild 
ing  of  the  church  in  New  York,  Baltimore,  and  Phila 
delphia,  William  P.  Quinn,  thirty-five  years  ago,  went 
to  the  West,  a  most  undesirable  place  for  a  colored 
man  at  that  time.  But  he  did  not  count  the  cost;  it 
was  enough  for  him  to  know  that  his  services  were 
needed,  and  he  left  the  consequences  with  God. 

Never,  probably,  was  a  man  more  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  the  Great  Teacher,  than  was  Mr.  Quinn  in  his 
missionary  work.  Old  men  and  women  arc  still  living 
who  delight  to  dwell  on  the  self-denial,  Christian  zeal, 
manly  graces,  and  industry  that  characterized  this  good 
man  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  and  Missouri.  His  advice  was  always  fatherly ; 
his  example  inculcated  devoted  piety. 

As  a  speaker,  he  was  earnest  and  eloquent,  possess 
ing  an  inward  enthusiasm  that  sent  a  magnetic  current 
through  his  entire  congregation.  Having  the  fullest 
confidence  of  the  people  with  whom  he  was  called  to 
labor,  they  regarded  him  as  one  sent  of  God,  and  they 
hung  upon  his  words  as  if  their  future  welfare  depended 
upon  the  counsel  they  received. 

In  1844,  Mr.  Quinn  was  made  a  bishop,  a  position 
for  which  he  had  every  qualification.  Tanner,  in  his 
' 'Apology , ' '  says :  — 

"The  demands  of  the  work  made  it  necessary  to  elect 
another  bishop,  and,  as  if  by  inspiration,  a  large  ma 
jority  fixed  their  eyes  on  the  great  missionary  as  the 
man  most  competent  to  fill  the  post." 

Bishop  Quiiin   died  in  February,  1873,  at  the  ad 
vanced  age  uf  eighty -live  years. 
28 


434  THE  RISING   SON. 


DAVID  RUGGLES. 

OF  those  who  took  part  in  the  anti-slavery  work 
thirty-five  years  ago,  none  was  more  true  to  his  race 
than  David  Ruggles.  Residing  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  slaveholders  often  brought  their  body 
servants,  and  kept  them  for  weeks,  Mr.  Ruggles  became 
a  thorn  in  the  sides  of  these  Southern  sinners.  He  was 
ready  at  all  times,  in  dangers  and  perils,  to  wrest  his 
brethren  from  these  hyenas,  and  so  successful  was  he  in 
getting  slaves  from  their  masters,  and  sending  them  to 
Canada,  that  he  became  the  terror  of  Southerners  visit 
ing  northern  cities.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  celebrated  underground  railroad. 

Harassed  by  the  pro-slavery  whites,  and  betrayed 
and  deserted  by  some  of  his  own  color,  David  Ruggles 
still  labored  for  his  people. 

He  was  deeply  interested  in  the  moral,  social,  and 
political  elevation  of  the  free  colored  men  of  the  North, 
and  to  that  end  published  and  edited  for  several  years 
the  "Mirror  of  Liberty,"  a  quarterly  magazine,  de 
voted  to  the  advocacy  of  the  rights  of  his  race. 

As  a  writer,  Mr.  Ruggles  was  keen  and  witty, — 
always  logical, — sending  his  arrows  directly  at  his 
opponent.  The  first  thing  we  ever  read,  coming  from 
the  pen  of  a  colored  man,  was  "David  M.  Reese,  M.  D., 
used  up  by  David  Ruggles,  a  man  of  color."  Dr. 
Reese  was  a  noted  colonizationist,  and  had  written  a 
work  in  which  he  advocated  the  expatriation  of  the 
blacks  from  the  American  continent;  and  Mr.  Jlug- 
gles's  work  was  in  reply  to  it.  In  this  argument  the 
negro  proved  too  much  for  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  ex- 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  435 

hibitecl  in  Mr.  Ruggles  those  qualities  of  keen  percep 
tion,  deep  thought,  and  originality,  that  mark  the  critic 
and  man  of  letters. 

He  was  of  unmixed  blood,  of  medium  size,  genteel 
address,  and  interesting  in  conversation. 

Attacked  with  a  disease  which  resulted  in  total 
blindness,  Mr.  Ruggles  visited  Northampton,  Massa 
chusetts,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  Here  he  founded 
a  * 'Water  Cure,"  which  became  famous,  and  to  which 
a  large  number  of  the  better  classes  resorted.  In  this 
new  field,  Mr.  Ruggles  won  honorable  distinction  as  a 
most  successful  practitioner,  secured  the  warm  regard 
of  the  public,  and  left  a  name  embalmed  in  the  hearts 
of  many  who  feel  that  they  owe  life  to  his  eminent  skill 
and  careful  practice.  Mr.  Ruggles  was  conscientious, 
upright,  and  just  in  all  his  dealings.  He  died  in  1849, 
universally  respected  and  esteemed. 


FREDERICK   DOUGLASS. 

THE  career  of  this  distinguished  individual  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch,  is  more  widely  known  than  that 
of  any  other  living  colored  man.  Born  and  brought 
up  under  the  institution  of  slavery,  which  denied  its 
victims  the  right  of  developing  those  natural  powers 
that  adorn  the  children  of  men,  and  distinguish  them 
from  the  beasts  of  the  forest, — an  institution  that  gave 
a  premium  to  ignorance,  and  mode  intelligence  a  crime, 
when  the  possessor  was  a  negro, — Frederick  Douglass 


436  THE    RISING    SOX. 

is,  indeed,  the  most  wonderful  man  that  America  has 
ever  produced,  white  cr  black. 

His  days  of  servitude  were  like  those  of  his  race 
who  were  born  at  the  South,  differing  but  little  from 
the  old  routine  of  plantation  life.  Douglass,  however, 
possessed  superior  natural  gifts,  which  began  to  show 
themselves  even  when  a  boy,  but  his  history  has  be 
come  too  well  known  for  us  to  dwell  on  it  here.  The 
narrative  of  his  life,  published  in  1845,  gave  a  new 
impetus  to  the  black  man's  literature.  All  other  sto 
ries  of  fugitive  slaves  faded  away  before  the  beautifully- 
written,  highly-descriptive,  and  thrilling  memoir  of 
Frederick  Douglass.  Other  narratives  had  only 
brought  before  the  public  a  few  heart-rending  scenes 
connected  with  the  person  described.  But  Mr.  Doug 
lass,  in  his  book,  brought  not  only  his  old  master's 
farm  and  its  occupants  before  the  reader,  but  the  entire 
country  around  him,  including  Baltimore  and  its  ship 
yard.  The  manner  in  which  he  obtained  his  education, 
and  especially  his  learning  to  write,  has  been  read  and 
re-read  by  thousands  in  both  hemispheres.  His  escape 
from  slavery  is  too  well  understood  to  need  a  recapitu 
lation  here. 

He  took  up  his  residence  in  New  Bedford,  where  he 
still  continued  the  assiduous  student,  mastering  the 
different  branches  of  education  which  the  accursed 
institution  had  deprived  him  of  in  early  life. 

His  advent  as  a  lecturer  was  a  remarkable  one. 
Wbite  men  and  black  men  had  talked  against  slavery, 
but  none  had  ever  spoken  like  Frederick  Douglass. 
Throughout  the  North  the  newspapers  were  filled  with 
the  sayings  of  the  * 'eloquent  fugitive."  He  often 
travelled  with  others,  but  they  were  all  lost  sight  of  in 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND    WOMEN.  437 

the  eagerness  to  hear  Douglass.     His  travelling  com- 

o  o  O 

panions  would  sometimes  get  angry,  and  would  speak 
first  at  the  meetings;  then  they  would  take  the  last 
turn;  but  it  was  all  the  same — the  fugitive's  impres 
sion  was  the  one  left  upon  the  mind.  He  made  more 
persons  angry,  and  pleased  more,  than  any  other  man. 
He  was  praised,  and  he  was  censured.  He  made  them 
laugh,  he  made  them  weep,  and  he  made  them  swear. 

His  "Slaveholders'  Sermon"  was  always  a  trump 
card.  lie  awakened  an  interest  in  the  hearts  of  thou 
sands  who  before  were  dead  to  the  slave  and  his  con 
dition.  Many  kept  away  from  his  lectures,  fearing 
lest  they  should  be  converted  against  their  will.  Young 
men  and  women,  in  those  days  of  pro-slavery  hatred, 
would  return  to  their  fathers'  roofs  filled  with  admira 
tion  for  the  "runaway  slave,"  and  would  be  rebuked 
by  hearing  the  old  ones  grumble  out,  "You'd  better 
stay  at  home  and  study  your  lessons,  and  not  be  run 
ning  after  the  nigger  meetings." 

In  1841,  he  was  induced  to  accept  an  agency  as  a 
lecturer  for  the  Anti-slavery  Society,  and  at  once  be 
came  one  of  the  most  valu.'ible  of  its  advocates.  He 
visited  England  in  1845.  There  he  was  kindly  re 
ceived  and  heartily  welcomed;  and  after  going  through 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  and  addressing 
public  meetings  out  of  number  on  behalf  of  his  country 
men  in  chains,  with  a  power  of  eloquence  which  capti 
vated  his  auditors,  and  brought  the  cause  which  he 
pleaded  home  to  their  hearts,  he  returned  home,  and 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  "North  Star,"  a 
weekly  newspaper  devoted  to  the  advocacy  of  the  cause 
of  freedom. 

Mr.  Douglass  is  tall  and  well  made.     His  vast  and 


438  THE    RISING    SON. 

fully- developed  forehead  shows  at  once  that  he  is  a 
superior  man  intellectually.  He  is  polished  iu  his 
language,  and  gentlemanly  in  his  manners.  His  voice 
is  full  and  sonorous.  His  attitude  is  dignified,  and  his 
gesticulation  is  full  of  noble  simplicity.  He  is  a  man 
of  lofty  reason;  natural,  and  without  pretension; 
always  master  of  himself;  brilliant  in  the  art  of  expos 
ing  and  abstracting.  Few  persons  can  handle  a  subject, 
with  which  they  are  familiar,  better  than  he.  There  is 
a  kind  of  eloquence  issuing  from  the  depth  of  the  soul 
as  from  a  spring,  rolling  along  its  copious  floods, 
sweeping  all  before  it,  overwhelming  by  its  very  force, 
carrying,  upsetting,  ingulfing  its  adversaries,  and  more 
dazzling  and  more  thundering  than  the  bolt  which  leaps 
from  cnig  to  crag.  This  is  the  eloquence  of  Frederick 
Douglass.  One  of  the  best  mimics  of  the  a<re,  and 

O  O       ' 

possessing  great  dramatic  powers;  had  he  taken  up  the 
sock  and  buskin,  instead  of  becoming  a  lecturer,  he 
would  have  made  as  fine  a  Coriolanus  as  ever  trod  the 
stage. 

As  a  speaker,  Frederick  Douglass  has  had  more  imi 
tators  than  almost  any  other  American,  save,  perhaps, 
Wendell  Phillips.  Unlike  most  great  speakers,  he  is 
a  superior  writer  also.  Some  of  his  articles,  in  point 
of  ability,  will  rank  with  anything  ever  written  for  the 
American  press.  He  has  taken  lessons  from  the  best 
of  teachers,  amid  the  homeliest  realities  01  life;  hence 
the  perpetual  freshness  of  his  delineations,  which  are 
never  over-colored,  never  strained,  never  aiming  at 
difficult  or  impossible  effects,  but  which  always  read 
like  living  transcripts  of  experience. 

Mr.  Douglass  has  obtained  a  position  in  the  front 
rank  as  a  lyceum  lecturer.  His  later  addresses  from 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN    AND   WOMEN.  439 

manuscripts,  however,  do  not,  in  our  opinion,  come  up 
to  his  extemporaneous  efforts. 

But  Frederick  Douglass's  abilities  as  an  editor  and 
publisher  have  done  more  for  the  freedom  and  eleva 
tion  of  his  race  than  all  his  platform  appeals.  Previous 
to  the  year  1848,  the  colored  people  of  the  United 
States  had  no  literature.  True,  the  "National  Re 
former,"  the  " Mirror  of  Liberty,"  the  "Colored 
American,"  "The  Mystery,"  the  "Disfranchised 
American,"  the  "Ram's  Horn,"  and  several  others  of 
smaller  magnitude,  had  been  in  existence,  had  their 
run,  and  ceased  to  live.  All  of  the  above*journals  had 
done  something  towards  raising  the  black  man's  stand 
ard,  but  they  were  merely  the  ploughs  breaking  up  the 
ground  and  getting  the  soil  ready  for  the  seed-time. 
Newspapers,  magazines,  and  books  published  in  those 
days  by  colored  men,  were  received  with  great  allow 
ance  by  the  whites,  who  had  always  kSJgarded  the  negro 
as  an  uneducated,  inferior  race,  and  who  were  consid 
ered  out  of  their  proper  sphere  when  meddling  with 
literature. 

The  commencement  of  the  publication  of  the  "North 
Star"  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  black 
man's  literature.  Mr.  Douglass's  well-earned  fame 
gave  his  paper  at  once  a  place  with  the  first  journals 
in  the  country;  and  he  drew  around  him  a  corps  of  con 
tributors  and  correspondents  from  Europe,  as  well  as 
all  parts  of  America  and  the  West  Indies,  that  made 
its  columns  rich  with  the  current  news  of  the  world. 

TVhile  the  "North  Star"  became  a  welcome  visitor 
to  the  homes  of  whites  who  had  never  before  read  a 
newspaper  edited  by  a  colored  man,  its  proprietor  be- 


440  THE    RISING    SOX. 

came  still  more  popular  as  a  speaker  in  every  State  in 
the  Union  where  abolitionism  was  tolerated. 

"My  Bondage  and  My  Freedom,"  a  work  published 
by  Mr.  Douglass  a  few  years  ago,  besides  giving  a 
fresh  impulse  to  anti-shivery  literature,  showed  upon 
its  pages  the  untiring  industry  of  the  ripe  scholar. 

Some  time  during  the  year  1850,  we  believe,  his 
journal  assumed  the  name  of  "Frederick  Douglass's 
Paper."  Its  purpose  and  aim  was  the  same,  and  it 
remained  the  representative  of  the  negro  till  it  elosed 
its  career,  which  was  not  until  the  abolition  of  slavery. 

Of  all  his  labors,  however,  we  regard  Mr.  Douglass's 
efforts  as  publisher  and  editor  as  most  useful  to  his 
'  race.  For  sixteen  years,  against  much  opposition, 
single-handed  and  alone,  he  demonstrated  the  fact  that 
the  American  colored  man  was  equal  to  the  white  in 
conducting  a  useful  and  popular  journal. 


ALEXANDER  W.  WAYMAN. 

BISHOP  WAYMAN  was  born  in  Maryland,  in  1821, 
and  consequently,  is  fifty-two  years  of  age.  He  showed 
an  early  love  of  books,  and  used  his  time  to  the  best 
advantage.  He  began  as  a  preacher  in  the  A.  M.  E. 
Church  in  1842,  being  stationed  on  the  Princeton  cir 
cuit,  in  New  Jersey.  From  that  time  forward  his 
labors  were  herculean.  In  1864,  he  was,  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote,  elected  a  bishop.  Tanner,  in  his 
"Apology,"  said  of  him:  — 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  441 

"As  a  preacher,  the  bishop  appears  to  advantage. 
Of  dignified  mien,  easy  gestures,  and  a  rolling  voice, 
he  is  sure  to  make  a  favorable  impression,  while  the 
subject-matter  of  his  discourse  is  so  simple  that  the 
most  illiterate  may  fully  comprehend  it;  the  wisest, 
also,  arc  generally  edified/' 

It  is  said  that  Bishop  Wayman  is  scarcely  ever  seen 
with  any  book  except  the  Bible  or  a  hymn-book,  and 
yet  he  is  a  man  of  letters,  as  will  be  acknowledged  by 
all  who  have  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  his  elo 
quent  sermons.  lie  is  a  student,  and  is  well  read  in 
history  and  the  poets,  and  often  surprises  his  friends 
by  his  classical  quotations.  There  is  a  harmonious 
blending  of  the  poetical  and  the  practical,  a  pleasant 
union  of  the  material  with  the  spiritual,  an  arm-in-arm 
connection  of  the  ornamental  and  useful,  a  body  and 
soul  joined  together  in  his  discourses.  There  is  some 
thing  candid,  tangible,  solid,  nutritious,  and  enduring 
in  his  sermons.  He  is  even  at  times,  profound.  He 
presents  his  arguments  and  appeals  with  an  articulation 
as  distinct  and  as  understandable  as  his  gesticulation 
is  impressive. 

In  person,  the  bishop  is  stout,  fleshy,  and  well-pro 
portioned.  His  round  face,  smiling  countenance, 
twinkling  eye,  and  merry  laugh,  indicate  health  and 
happiness.  lie  is  of  unadulterated  African  origin. 
Blameless  in,  all  the  relations  of  life,  a  kind  and  affec 
tionate  husband,  a  true  friend,  and  a  good  neighbor, 
Bishop  Way  man's  character  may  safely  be  said  to  be 
above  suspicion. 


442  THE   RISING  SON. 


CHARLES  L.  REASON. 

PROFESSOR  REASON  has  for  a  number  of  years  been 
connected  with  the  educational  institutions  of  New 
York.  In  1849,  he  was  called  to  the  professorship  of 
Mathematics  and  Belles-Lettres  in  New  York  Central 
College.  This  position  he  held  during  his  own  pleas 
ure,  with  honor  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  students. 
A  man  of  fine  education,  superior  intelligence,  gentle 
manly  in  every  sense  of  the  term,  of  excellent  discrimi 
nation,  one  of  the  best  of  students,  Professor  Reason 
holds  a  power  over  those  under  him  seldom  attained 
by  men  of  his  profession. 

Were  I  a  sculptor,  and  looking  for  a  model  of  a  per 
fect  man  in  personal  appearance,  my  selection  would 
be  Charles  L.  Reason.  As  a  writer  of  both  prose  and 
poetry,  he  need  not  be  ashamed  of  his  ability.  Ex 
tremely  diffident,  he  seldom  furnishes  anything  for  the 
public  eye.  In  a  well-written  essay  on  the  propriety 
of  establishing  an  industrial  college,  and  the  probable 
influence  of  the  free  colored  people  upon  the  emanci 
pated  blacks,  he  says:  — 

"Whenever  emancipation  shall  take  place,  imme 
diate  though  it  be,  the  subjects  of  it,  like  many  who 
now  make  up  the  so-called  free  population,  will  be  in 
what  geologists  call  the  'transition  state..'  The  preju 
dice  now  felt  against  them  for  bearing  on  their  persons 
the  brand  of  slaves,  cannot  die  out  immediately.  Se 
vere  trials  will  still  be  their  portion:  the  curse  of  a 
'taunted  race'  must  be  expiated  by  almost  miraculous 
proofs  of  advancement;  and  some  of  these  miracles 
must  be  antecedent  to  the  great  day  of  jubilee.  To 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  443 

fight  the  battle  upon  the  bare  ground  of  abstract 
principles  will  fail  to  give  us  complete  victory.  The 
subterfuges  of  pro-slavery  selfishness  must  now  be 
dragged  to  light,  and  the  last  weak  argument,  that  the 
negro  can  never  contribute  anything  to  advance  the 
national  character,  'nailed  to  the  counter  as  base  coin.' 
To  the  conquering  of  the  difficulties  heaped  up  in  the 
path  of  his  industry,  the  free  colored  man  of  the  North 
has  pledged  himself.  Already  he  sees,  springing  into 
oToT,vth,  from  out  his  foster  work-school,  intelligent 

O  '  O 

young  laborers,  competent  to  enrich  the  world  with 
necessary  products;  industrious  citizens,  contributing 
their  proportion  to  aid  on  the  advancing  civilization  of 
the  country;  self -providing  artisans,  vindicating  their 
people  from  the  never-ceasing  charge  of  fitness  for  ser 
vile  positions." 

In  the  '* Autographs  for  Freedom,"  from  which  the 
above  extract  is  taken,  Professor  Reason  has  a  beau 
tiful  poem,  entitled  "Hope  and  Confidence/'  which, 
in  point  of  originality  and  nicety  of  composition, 
deserves  a  place  among  the  best  productions  of  Words 
worth. 

A  poem  signifies  design,  method,  harmony,  and 
thurefore  consistency  of  parts.  A  man  may  be  gifted 
with  the  most  vividly  ideal  nature ;  he  may  shoot  from 
his  brain  some  blazing  poetic  thought  or  imagery, 
which  may  arouse  wonder  and  admiration,  as  a  comet 
does;  and  yet  he  may  have  no  constructiveness,  with 
out  which  the  materials  of  poetry  are  only  so  many 
glittering  fractions.  A  poem  can  never  be  tested  by 
its  length  or  brevity,  but  by  the  adaptation  of  its  parts. 
A  complete  poem  is  the  architecture  of  thought  and 
language.  It  requires  artistic  skill  to  chisel  rough 


444  THE   RISING   SON. 

blocks  of  marble  into  as  many  individual  forms  of 
beauty;  but  not  only  skill,  but  genius,  is  needed  to 
arrange  and  harmonize  those  forms  into  the  complete 
ness  of  a  Parthenon.  A  grave  popular  error,  and  one 
destructive  of  personal  usefulness,  and  obstructive  to 
literary  progress,  is  the  free-and-easy  belief  that 
because  a  mtin  has  the  faculty  of  investing  common 
things  with  uncommon  ideas,  therefore  he  can  write  a 
poem. 

The  idea  of  poetry  is  to  give  pleasurable  emotions, 
and  the  world  listens  to  aspect's  voice  as  it  listens  to 
the  singing  of  a  summer  bird ;  that  which  is  the  most 
suggestive  of  freedom  and  eloquence  being  the  most 
admired.  Professor  Reason  has  both  the  genius  and 
the  artistic  skill.  He  is  highly  respected  in  New  York, 
where  he  resides,  and  is  doing  a  good  work  for  the 
elevation  of  his  race. 


WILLIAM  J.  WILSON. 

AT  the  head  of  our  representative  men,  —  especially 
our  men  of  letters,  —  stands  Professor  Wilson.  He  has, 
at  times,  contributed  some  very  able  papers  to  the  cur 
rent  literature  of  the  day.  In  the  columns  of  "Fred 
erick  Douglass's  Paper,"  the  "Anglo- African  Maga 
zine,"  and  the  "Weekly  Anglo- African,"  appeared  at 
times,  over  the  signature  of  "Ethiop,"  some  of  the 
raciest  and  most  amusing  essays  to  be  found  in  the 
public  journals  of  this  country.  As  a  sketch  writer  of 
historical  scenes  and  historical  characters, — choosing 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  445 

his  own  subjects,  suggested  by  his  own  taste  or  sympa 
thies, — few  men  are  capable  of  greater  or  more  suc 
cessful  efforts  than  William  J.  Wilson. 

<In  his  imaginary  visit  to  the  "Afric-American  Pic 
ture  Gallery,"  he  exhibits  splendid  traits  of  the  genius 
of  the  true  critic.  His  criticism  on  the  comparative 
merits  of  Samuel  R.  Ward  and  Frederick  Douglass, 

O  ' 

published  in  the  papers  some  years  ago,  together  wkh 
his  essay  on  Phillis  Whcatlcy,  raised  Mr.  Wilson  high 
in  the  estimation  of  men  of  letters.  His  * 'School 
Room  Scene"  is  both  amusing  and  instructive. 

To  possess  genius,  the  offspring  of  which  ennobles 
the  sentiments,  enlarges  the  affections,  kindles  the 
imagination,  and  gives  to  us  a  view  of  the  past,  the 
present,  and  the  future,  is  one  of  the  highest  gifts  that 
the  Creator  bestows  upon  man.  With  acute  powers  of 
conception,  a  sparkling  and  lively  fancy,  and  aquaintly- 
curious  felicity  of  diction,  Mr.  Wilson  wakes  us  from 
our  torpidity  and  coldness  to  a  sense  of  our  capabili 
ties. 

As  a  speaker,  he  is  pleasing  in  style,  with  the  man 
ners  of  a  gentleman.  His  conversational  powers  are 
of  the  first  order,  in  which  he  exhibits  deep  thought. 
In  personal  appearance,  he  is  under  the  middle  size; 
his  profile  is  more  striking  than  his  front  face;  he  has 

a  smiling  countenance,  under  which  you  see  the  man 

• 
of  wit.     The  professor  is  of  unmixed  race,  of  which  he 

is  not  ashamed.  He  is  cashier  of  the  Freedmen's 
Savings  Bank  at  Washington,  and  his  good  advice  to 
his  race  with  whom  he  has  dealings  in  money  matters 
proves  of  much  service  to  them. 


446  THE  RISING   SON. 


JABEZ  P.  CAMPBELL. 

ONE  of  the  best  of  men  was  born  in  one  of  the 
meanest  States  in  the  Union.  Jabez  P.  Campbell  is  a 
native  of  the  insignificant  and  negro-hating  State  of 

O  C5  O 

Delaware,  and  is  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
His  father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  when  he 
laid  aside  the  knapsack  and  the  musket,  he  put  on  the 
armor  of  the  Lord,  and  became  a  preacher  of  the 
A.  M.  E.  Church.  Like  all  colored  boys  in  those 
days,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  found  many  difficulties 
in  obtaining  an  education  in  a  part  of  the  country  where 
colored  men  had  "no  rights  that  white  men  were  bound 
to  respect." 

After  a  few  quarters'  schooling,  under  incompetent 
teachers,  Campbell  began  a  course  of  self-instruction, 
ending  in  the  study  of  theology.  In  1831),  he  com 
menced  as  a  preacher,  laboring  in  various  sections  of 
the  country,  eventually  settling  down  as  General  Book 
Steward  of  the  A.  M.  E.  (Jhurch,  and  editor  of  the 
"Christian  Recorder." 

In  the  year  1864,  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was 
elected  a  bishop,  and  since  that  time  he  has  labored 
principally  in  the  Indiana,  Missouri,  Louisiana,  and 
California  districts. 

The  bishop  is  eminently  a  m?m  of  the  people,  not 
conceited  in  the  least,  yet  dignified  and  gentlemanly. 
He  is  a  man  of  ready  wit,  keen  in  discussion,  well 
posted  up  on  all  questions  of  the  day,  and  is  not  afraid 
to  avow  his  views.  Bishop  Campbell  has  a  wonderful 
gift  of  language,  and  uses  it  to  the  best  advantage. 
His  delivery  is  easy,  and  his  gestures  natural;  and,  as  a 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN,  447 

preacher,  he  ranks  amongst  the  first  in  the  denomina 
tion.  In  person,  he  is  of  medium  size,  dark  brown 
skin,  finely  chiselled  features,  broad  forehead,  and  a 
countenance  that  betokens  intelligence. 


JOHN  M.  LANGSTON. 

JOHN  M.  LANGSTON  is  a  native  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio, 
and  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  College.  He  studied  theo 
logy  and  law,  and  preferring  the  latter,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  practised  successfully  in  the  courts  of  his 
native  state  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  when 
he  removed  to  Washington,  where  he  now  resides. 
During  the  war,  and  some  time  after  its  close,  Mr. 
Langston  was  engaged  in  superintending  the  Freed- 
mcn's  Schools  at  the  South.  He  now  occupies  a  pro 
fessorship  in  Howard  University. 

The  end  of  all  eloquence  is  to  sway  men.  It  is, 
therefore,  bound  by  no  arbitrary  rules  of  diction  or 
style,  formed  on  no  specific  models,  and  governed  by 
no  edicts  of  self-elected  judges.  It  is  true,  there  are 
degrees  of  eloquence,  and  equal  success  does  not  imply 
equal  excellence.  That  which  is  adapted  to  sway  the 
strongest  minds  of  an  enlightened  age  ought  to  be 
esteemed  the  most  perfect,  and,  doubtless,  should  be 
the  critei  ion  by  which  to  test  the  abstract  excellence 
of  all  oratory.  Mr.  Langston  represents  the  highest 
idea  of  the  orator,  as  exemplified  in  the  power  and 
discourses  of  Sheridan  in  the  Eroflish  House  of  Com- 

^^ 

mons,  and  Vergniaud  in  the  Assembly  of  the  Girond- 


448  THE  RISING  SON. 

jsts.  He  is  not  fragmentary  in  his  speeches;  but,  as  a 
deep,  majestic  stream,  he  moves  steadily  onward,  pour 
ing  forth  his  rich  and  harmonious  sentences  in  strains 
of  impassioned  eloquence.  His  style  is  bold  and  ener 
getic;  full  of  spirit.  He  is  profound,  without  being 
hollow,  and  ingenious,  without  being  subtile. 

An  accomplished  scholar  and  a  good  student,  he  dis 
plays  in  his  speeches  an  amount  of  literary  acquire 
ments  not  often  found  in  the  mere  business  lawyer. 
When  pleading,  he  speaks  like  a  man  under  oath,  though 
without  any  starched  formality  of  expression.  The 
test  of  his  success  is  the  permanent  impression  which 
his  speeches  leave  on  the  memory.  They  do  not  pass 
away  with  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  but  remain 
in  the  mind,  with  the  lively  colors  and  true  propor 
tions  of  the  scenes  which  they  represent.  Mr.  Lang- 
ston  is  of  medium  size,  and  of  good  figure;  high  and 
well-formed  forehead;  eyes  full,  but  not  prominent; 
mild  and  amiable  countenance;  modest  deportment; 
strong,  musical  voice ;  and  wears  the  air  of  a  gentle 
man.  He  is  highly  respected  by  men  of  all  classes, 
and  especially,  by  the  legal  profession.  He  is  a  vigor 
ous  writer,  and,  in  the  political  campaigns,  contributes 
both  with  speech  and  pen  to  the  liberal  cause.  Few 
men  in  the  south-west  have  held  the  black  man's  stand 
ard  higher  than  John  Mercer  Langston. 

As  Dean  of  the  Law  Department  in  Howard  Univer 
sity,  he  has  won  the  admiration  of  all  connected  with 
the  institution,  and,  in  a  recent  address,  delivered  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  on  law,  Mr.  Langston  has 
shown  that  he  is  well  versed  in  all  that  pertains  to 
that  high  profession. 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  449 


JOHN  M.  BROWN. 

AMONG  the  fine-looking  men  that  have  been  sent 
out  by  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  to  preach  the  gospel, 
none  has  a  more  manly  frame,  intellectual  counte 
nance,  gentlemanly  demeanor,  Christian  spirit,  and 
love  of  his  race,  than  John  M.  Brown.  When  the 
Committee  on  Boundary  in  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  recom 
mended  in  the  General  Conference  of  1864,  * 'that  there 
be  set  apart  a  Conference  in  the  State  of  Louisiana,  to 
be  known  as  the  Louisiana  Conference,  embracing  the 
States  of  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Arkansas,  Alabama, 
Texas,  and  all  that  part  of  Florida  lying  west  of  Chat- 
tanco^a  River,"  Mr.  Brown  was  selected  as  the  man 
eminently  fitted  to  go  to  the  new  field  of  labor. 
Money  was  evidently  not  a  burden  to  him,  for,  being 
a  barber,  he  got  on  a  steamer,  and  shaved  his  way  to 
his  post  of  labor.* 

lie  arrived  in  New  Orleans,  unfurled  his  ban 
ner,  and  went  to  work  in  a  way  that  showed  that  he 
was  "terribly  in  earnest."  He  sowed  the  seed,  and, 
although  he  was  thrown  into  the  calaboose,  his  work 
still  went  on,  a  church  was  erected,  members  were 
gathered  in,  and  the  cause  of  Christian  missions  pros 
pered.  After  laboring  faithfully  in  this  field,  Mr. 
Brown  was  appointed  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
A.  M.  E.  Church,  with  his  head-quarters  in  Baltimore. 
He  now  holds  the  high  and  honorable  position  of 
bishop,  a  place  that  no  one  is  better  qualified  to  fill 
than  he. 

He  is  a  mulatto,  of  middle  age,  with  talents  of  a 

*  "An  Apology  for  Methodism."     B.  T.  Tanner,  p.  388. 
29  * 


450  THE   RISING   SOX. 

high  order,  fluent  speaker,  terse  writer,  and  popular 
with  all  classes.  Oberlin  College  has  not  turned  out 
a  more  praiseworthy  scholar,  nor  a  better  specimen  of  a 
Christian  gentleman,  than  Bishop  Brown. 


JOHN  I.  GAiNES. 

MR.  GAIXES  was  born  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November 
6th,  1821.  His  early  education  was  limited,  as  was 
generally  the  case  with  colored  youth  in  that  section, 
in  those  days.  Forced  into  active  life  at  an  early  age, 
he  yet  found  time  to  make  himself  a  fair  English 
scholar,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  that  power  to  be 
useful,  which  he  afterwards  exercised  for  the  benefit  of 
his  people. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  was  found  in  attendance 
upon  a  convention,  held  in  one  of  the  interior  towns 
of  his  native  state.  At  that  early  age,  he  showed  clearly 
his  mental  powers,  and  men,  many  years  his  senior, 
listened  with  respect  to  the  sage  counsel  which  even 
then  he  was  capable  of  giving.  From  that  time  to  the 
very  day  of  his  death  he  mingled  in  the  councils,  and 
busied  himself  with  the  affairs  of  his  people;  and  it  is 
no  derogation  to  the  merits  of  others  to  say,  that  few 
Lave  counselled  more  wisely,  or  acted  more  successfully 
than  he. 

The  enterprise  with  which  his  name  is  the  most  per 
manently  connected,  is  the  movement  which  has  given 
to  Cincinnati  her  system  of  public  schools  for  colored 
youth.  When  the  law  of  1849,  granting  school  privi- 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  451 

leges  to  colored  youth,  was  passed,  the  City  Council  of 
Cincinnati  refused  to  appropriate  the  funds  placed  in 
the  treasury  for  the  support  of  the  schools,  alleging 
that  there  was  no  authority  to  do  so.  Here  was  a 
chance  for  our  deceased  friend  to  exhibit  those  hio-h 

o 

qualities  which  made  him  a  lamp  to  the  feet  of  his  peo 
ple.  Cautious,  but  firm,  determined,  but  patient,  he 
led  in  the  movement,  which  resulted  in  a  decision  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  placing  the  colored 
public  schools  upon  the  same  footing  as  the  other  public 
schools  of  ths  city,  and  gave  their  control  to  a  board 
of  directors  selected  by  the  colored  people.  The  con 
test  was  prolonged  nearly  two  years,  but  at  last  the 
little  black  man  triumphed  over  the  city  of  Cincinnati. 
His  next  aim  was  to  have  the  schools  thoroughly 
organized,  and  placed  in  comfortable  houses.  He 
cheerfully  performed  the  onerous  duties  of  clerk  and 
general  agent  to  the  Board,  his  only  reward  being  a 
consciousness  that  he  was  useful  to  his  people.  His 
purposes  were  temporarily  interrupted  in  1853,  by  a 

law  taking  the  control  of  the  schools  from  the  colored 

fj 

people.  Not  connected  officially  with  the  schools,  he 
*till  maintained  a  deep  interest  in  their  condition,  and, 
in  185G,  an  opportunity  offering,  he  used  his  influence 
and  means  to  have  the  schools  again  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  colored  people.  This  point  gained.,  he 
again  set  on  foot  measures  looking  to  the  erection  of 
school-houses.  This  he  at  last  accomplished.  His 
first  report  to  the  City  Council,  made  in  1851,  urges 
the  erection  of  school-houses,  and  his  last  report,  made 
in  1859,  announces  the  completion  of  two  large  houses, 
costing  over  twenty-four  thousand  dollars. 

If  he  is  a  benefactor  of  his  race,  who  causes  two 


452  THE    RISING    SON. 

blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  but  one  grew  before, 
surely,  he  is  worthy  of  praise,  who  has  let  rays  of  intel 
lectual  light  fall  upon  the  famished  minds  of  a  forlorn 
race,  whom  a  hard  fate  has  condemned  to  slavery  and 


ignorance. 


He  was,  from  early  youth,  a  firm,  though  not  fanatical 
adherent  of  the  Temperance  cause.  lie  felt  that  intoxi 
cating  drinks  had  caused  many  strong  men  to  fall, 
and,  for  his  brother's  sake,  he  abstained.  Meeting  one 
evening,  at  a  social  party,  a  gentleman  from  a  neighbor 
ing  State,  eminent  in  the  world  of  politics  and  philan 
thropy,  a  bottle  of  sparkling  Catawba  and  two  glasses 
were  placed  on  the  table  before  them,  the  host  remark 
ing  at  the  time  that  "there  was  no  need  for  two  tum 
blers,  for  Mr.  G*ines  would  not  use  his." 

"Surely,  Mr.  Gaines  will  pledge  me,  a  friend  of  his 
race,  in  a  glass  of  wine  made  from  the  grape  that  grows 
on  his  native  hills,"  said  the  gentleman. 

Mr.  Gaines  shook  his  head.  "I  appreciate  the 
honor,"  said  he,  "but  conscience  forbids." 

The  character  of  his  mind  was  much  to  be  prized  by 
a  people  who  need  prudent  counsels.  Seldom  speak 
ing  until  he  had  examined  his  subject  thoroughly,  he 
was  generally  prepared  to  speak  with  a  due  regard  to 
the  effects  of  his  speech. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  of  pure  African  de 
scent,  sm,'ill  in  stature,  of  genteel  figure,  countenance 
beaming  with  intelligence,  eloquent  in  speech,  and  able 
in  debate.  He  died  November  27,  1851). 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND   WOMEN.  453 


JAMES  M'CUNE  SMITH,  M.  D. 

UNABLE  to  get  justice  done  him  in  the  educational 
institutions  of  his  native  country,  James  M'Cune  Smith 
turned  his  face  towards  a  foreign  land.  He  graduated 
with  distinguished  honors  at  the  University  of  Glas 
gow,  Scotland,  where  he  received  his  diploma  of  M.  D. 
For  the  last  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  n,  practi 
tioner  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  stands  at  the 
head  of  his  profession.  On  his  return  from  Europe, 
the  doctor  was  warmly  welcomed  by  his  fellow-citizens, 
who  were  anxious  to  pay  due  deference  to  his  talents; 
since  which  time  he  has  justly  been  esteemed  among 
the  leading  men  of  his  race  on  the  American  continent. 
When  the  natural  ability  of  the  negro  was  assailed, 
some  years  ago,  in  New  York,  Dr.  Smith  came  forward 
as  the  representative  of  the  black  man,  and  his  essays 
on  the  comparative  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the 
races,  read  in  the  discussion,  completely  vindicated  the 
character  of  the  negro,  and  placed  the  author  among 
the  most  logical  and  scientific  writers  in  the  country. 

The  doctor  has  contributed  many  valuable  papers  to 
the  different  journals  published  by  colored  men  during 
the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  The  New  York  dailies 
have  also  received  aid  from  him  during  the  same 
period.  History,  antiquity,  bibliography,  translation, 
criticism,  political  economy,  statistics, — almost  every 
department  of  knowledge, — receive  emblazon  from  his 
able,  ready,  versatile,  and  unwearied  pen.  The  eman 
cipation  of  the  slave,  and  the  elevation  of  the  free  col 
ored  people,  has  claimed  the  greatest  share  of  his  time 
as  a  writer. 


454  THE    RISING    SON. 

The  law  of  labor  is  equally  binding  on  genius  and 
mediocrity.  The  mind  and  body  rarely  visit  this  earth 
of  ours  so  exactly  fitted  to  each  other,  and  so  perfectly 
harmonizing  .together,  as  to  rise  without  effort,  and 
command  in  the  affairs  of  men.  It  is  not  in  the  power 
of  every  one  to  become  great.  No  great  approxima 
tion,  even  towards  that  which  is  easiest  attained,  can 
be  accomplished  without  exercise  of  much  thought  and 
vigor  of  action;  and  thus  is  demonstrated  the  suprem 
acy  of  that  law  which  gives  excellence  only  when 
earned,  and  assigns  labor  its  unfailing  reward. 

Jt  is  this  energy  of  character,  industry,  and  labor, 
combined  with  superior  intellectual  powers,  which  gave 
Dr.  Smith  so  much  influence  in  New  York. 

As  a  speaker,  he  was  eloquent,  and  at  times  brilliant, 
but  always  clear,  and  to  the  point.  In  stature,  the  doc 
tor  was  not  tall,  but  thick,  and  somewhat  inclined  to 
corpulency.  He  had  a  fine  and  well-developed  head; 
broad  and  lofty  brow;  round,  full  face;  firm  mouth; 
and  an  eye  that  dazzled.  In  blood  he  stood,  apparently, 
equal  between  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  the  African. 


DANIEL  A.  PAYNE,  D.  D. 

TEACHER  of  a  small  school  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1834,  Daniel  A.  Payne  felt  the 
oppressive  hand  of  slavery  too  severely  upon  him,  and 
he  quitted  the  Southern  Sodom,  and  came  North.  After 
going  through  a  regular  course  of  theological  studies, 
at  Gettysburg  Seminary,  he  took  up  his  residence  at 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  455 

Baltimore,  where  he  soon  distinguished  himself  as  a 
preacher  in  the  African  Methodist  denomination.  He 
was  several  years  since  elected  bishop,  and  is  now 
located  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Bishop  Payne  is  a  scholar  and  a  poet;  having  pub 
lished,  in  1850,  a  volume  of  his  productions,  which 
created  considerable  interest  for  the  work,  and  gave 
the  author  a  standing  among  literary  men.  Ilis  writ 
ings  are  characterized  by  sound  reasoning  and  logical 
conclusions,  and  show  that  he  is  well  read.  The  bishop 
is  devotedly  attached  to  his  down-trodden  race,  and  is 
constantly  urging  upon  them  self-elevation.  After 
President  Lincoln's  interview  with  the  committee  of 
colored  men  at  Washington,  and  the  colonization 
scheme  recommended  to  them,  and  the  appearance  of 
Mr.  Pomcroy's  address  to  the  free  blacks,  Bishop  Payne 
issued,  through  the  columns  of  the  " Weekly  Anglo- 
African,"  a  word  of  advice,  which  had  in  it  the  right 
ring,  and  showed  in  its  composition  considerable  liter 
ary  ability.  A  deep  vein  of  genuine  piety  pervades  all 
the  productions  of  Bishop  Payne.  As  a  pulpit  orator, 
he  stands  deservedly  high.  In  stature,  he  is  rather 
under  the  middle  size,  intellectual  countenance,  and 
gentlemanly  in  appearance.  He  has  done  much  towards 
building  up  Wilberforce  College  in  Ohio,  an  institu 
tion  that  is  an  honor  to  the  race. 


ALEXANDER  CRUMMELL,  D.  D. 

AMONG  the  many  bright  examples  of  the  black  man 
which  we  present,  one  of  the  foremost  is  Alexander 


456  THE  RISING  SON. 

Crummell.  Blood  unadulterated,  a  tall  and  manly 
figure,  commanding  in  appearance,  a  full  and  musical 
voice,  fluent  in  speech,  a  graduate  of  Cambridge  Uni 
versity,  England,  a  mind  stored  with  the  richness  of 
English  literature,  competently  acquainted  with  the 
classical  authors  of  Greece  and  Rome,  from  the  grave 
Thucydides  to  the  rhapsodical  Lycophron,  gentlemanly 
in  all  his  movements,  language  chaste  and  refined,  Dr. 
Crummell  may  well  be  put  forward  as  one  of  the  best 
and  most  favorable  representatives  of  his  race.  He  is 
a  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal  denomination,  and  deeply 
versed  in  theology.  His  sermons  are  always  written, 
but  he  reads  them  as  few  persons  can. 

In  1848,  Dr.  Crummell  visited  England,  and  deliv 
ered  a  well-conceived  address  before  the  Anti-slavery 
Society  in  London,  where  his  eloquence  and  splendid 
abilities  were  at  once  acknowledged  and  appreciated. 
Tho  year  before  his  departure  for  the  Old  World,  he 
delivered  an  * 'Eulogy  on  the  Life  and  Character  of 
Thomas  Clarkson,"  which  was  a  splendid,  yet  just 
tribute  to  the  life-long  labors  of  that  great  man. 

Dr.  Crummell  is  one  of  our  ablest  speakers.  His 
style  is  polished,  graceful,  and  e.ven  elegant,  though 
never  merely  ornate  or  rhetorical.  He  has  the  happy 
faculty  of  using  the  expressions  best  suited  to  the  occa 
sion,  and  bringing  in  allusions  which  give  a  popular 
sympathy  to  the  best  cultivated  style.  He  is,  we  think, 
rather  too  sensitive,  and  somewhat  punctillious. 

Dr.  Crummell  is  a  gentleman  by  nature,  and  could 
not  be  anything  else,  if  he  should  try.  Some  ten  years 
since,  he  wrote  a  veiy  interesting  work  on  Africa,  to 
which  country  he  emigrated  in  1852. 

We  have  had  a  number  of  our  public  men  to  repre- 


EEPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND  WOMEN.  457 

sent  us  in  Europe  within  the  past  twenty-five  years; 
and  none  have  done  it  more  honorably  or  with  better 
success  to  the  character  and  cause  of  the  black  man, 
than  Alexander  Crummell.  We  met  him  there  again 
and  again,  and  followed  in  his  track  wherever  he 
preached  or  spoke  before  public  assemblies,  and  we 
know  whereof  we  affirm.  Devotedly  attached  to  the 
interest  of  the  colored  man,  and  having  the  moral, 
social,  and  intellectual  elevation  of  the  natives  of  Af 
rica  at  heart,  we  do  not  regret  that  he  considers  it  his 
duty  to  labor  in  his  fatherland.  AYarrnly  interested  in 
the  Republic,  and  so  capable  of  filling  the  highest 
position  that  he  can  be  called  to,  we  shall  not  be  sur 
prised,  sonic  day,  to  hear  that  Alexander  Crummell  is 
president  of  Liberia. 

Avery  College  has  just  done  itself  the  honor  of  con 
ferring  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  upon  this 
able  man;  and  sure  we  are  that  a  title  was  never 
better  bestowed  than  in  the  present  instance. 

Since  writing  the  above  sketch,  we  learn  that  Dr. 

o  * 

Crummell  has  returned,  and  taken  up  his  residence  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  is  now  pastor  of  a 
church. 


HENRY  HIGHLAND  GARNETT,  D.  D. 

THOUGH  born  a  slave  in  the  State  of  Maryland, 
Henry  Highland  Garuett  is  the  son  of  an  African  chief, 
stolen  from  the  coast  of  his  native  land.  His  father's 
family  were  all  held  as  slaves  till  1822,  when  they 
escaped  to  the  north.  In  1835,  he  became  a  member 


458  THE    RISING   SOU. 

of  Canaan  Academy,  New  Hampshire.  Three  mouths 
after  entering  the  school,  it  was  broken  up  by  a  mob, 
who  destroyed  the  building.  Dr.  Garnett  afterwards 
entered  Oneida  Institute,  New  York,  under  the  charge 
of  that  noble-hearted  friend  of  man,  Beriah  Green, 
where  he  was  treated  with  equality  by  the  professors 
and  his  fellow  -students.  There  he  gained  the  reputa 
tion  of  a  courteous  and  accomplished  man,  an  able  and 
eloquent  debater,  and  a  good  writer. 

His  first  appearance  as  a  public  speaker,  was  in  1837, 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  where  his  speech  at  once 
secured  for  him  a  standing  among  first-class  orators. 
Dr.  Garnett  is  in  every  sense  of  the  term  a  progressive 
man.  He  is  a  strenuous  advocate  of  freedom,  tempe 
rance,  education,  and  the  religious,  moral,  and  social 
elevation  of  his  race.  He  is  an  acceptable  preacher, 
evangelical  in  his  profession.  His  discourses,  though 
showing  much  thought  and  careful  studv,  are  delivered 

t_7  fj  ^      7 

extemporaneously,  and  with  good  effect.  Having  com 
plete  command  of  his  voice,  he  uses  it  with  skill,  never 
failing  to  fill  the  largest  hall.  One  of  the  most  noted 
addresses  ever  given  by  a  colored  man  in  this  country 
was  delivered  by  Dr.  Garnett  at  the  National  Conven 
tion  of  Colored  Americans,  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  in 
1843.  None  but  those  who  heard  that  speech  have  the 
slightest  idea  of  the  tremendous  influence  which  he 
exercised  over  the  assembly. 

Dr.  Garnett  visited  England  in  1850,  where  he 
spent  several  months,  and  went  thence  to  the  island  of 
Jamaica,  spending  three  years  there  as  a  missionary. 
He  has  written  considerably,  and  has  edited  one  or 
two  journals  at  different  times,  devoted  to  the  eleva 
tion  of  his  race.  Dr.  Garnett  was,  for  two  or  three 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  459 

years,  president  of  Avery  College,  where  he  was 
considered  a  man  of  learning.  He  also  spent  some  time 
in  Washington,  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  that  city.  At  present,  he  is  located  over  Shiloh 
Church,  New  York  City. 

For  forty  years  an  advocate  of  the  rights  of  his  race, 
forcible  and  daring  as  a  speaker,  having  suffered  much, 
with  a  good  record  behind  him,  Dr.  Garnett  may  be 
considered  as  standing  in  the  front  rank  as  a  leader  of 
his  people. 


CHARLES  L.  REMOND. 

BORN  and  brought  up  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  Mr. 
Remond  had  the  advantage  of  early  training  in  the  best 
of  schools.  In  1838,  he  took  the  field  as  a  lecturer, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Anti -slavery  So 
ciety,  and,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Ichabod  Codding, 
canvassed  the  States  of  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island, 
and  Maine.  In  1840,  he  visited  England  as  a  delegate 
to  the  first  "World's  Anti-slavery  Convention/'  held 
in  London.  He  remained  abroad  two  years,  lecturing 
in  the  various  towns  in  the  united  kingdom. 

Mr.  Remond  was  welcomed  on  his  return  home,  and 
again  resumed  his  vocation  as  a  lecturer.  In  stature, 
he  is  small,  of  spare  make,  neat,  wiry  build,  and  genteel 
in  his  personal  appearance.  He  has  a  good  voice,  and 
is  considered  one  of  the  best  declaimers  in  New  Eng 
land.  He  has  written  little  or  nothing  for  the  press, 
and  his  notoriety  is  confined  solely  to  the  platform. 
Sensitive  to  a  fault,  and  feeling  sorely  the  prejudice 


460  .  THE   RISING   SON. 

against  color  which  exists  throughout  the  United  States, 
his  addresses  have  been  mainly  on  that  subject,  on 
which  he  is  always  interesting.  Mr.  Remond's  abili 
ties  have  been  very  much  overrated.  His  speeches, 
when  in  print,  attracted  little  or  no  attention,  and  he 
was  never  able  to  speak  upon  any  subject  except  slav 
ery,  upon  which  he  was  never  deeu 


MARTIN  R.  DELANY,  <M.  D. 

DR.  DELANY  has  long  been  before  the  public.  His 
first  appearance,  we  believe,  was  in  connection  with 
4 'The  Mystery,"  a  weekly  newspaper  published  at 
Pittsburg,  and  of  which  he  was  editor.  His  journal 
was  faithful  in  its  advocacy  of  the  rights  of  man,  and 
had  the  reputation  of  being  a  well-conducted  sheet. 
The  doctor  afterwards  was  associated  with  Frederick 
Douglass  in  the  editorial  management  of  his  paper  at 
Rochester ,  New  York.  From  the  latter  place,  he  re 
moved  to  Canada,  and  resided  in  Chatham,  where  he 
was  looked  upon  as  one  of  its  leading  citizens. 

Dr.  Martin  K.  Delany,  though  regarded  as  a  man 
high  in  his  profession,  is  better  and  more  widely  known 
as  a  traveller,  discoverer,  and  lecturer.  His  associa 
tion  with  Professor  Campbell  in  the  "Niger  Valley 
Exploring  Expedition,'*  has  brought  the  doctor  very 
prominently  before  the  world,  and  especially  that  por 
tion  of  it  which  takes  an  interest  in  the  civilization  of 
Africa.  The  official  report  of  that  expedition  shows 
that  he  did  not  visit  that  country  with  his  eyes  shut. 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  461 

His  observations  and  snsrsrcstions  about  the  climate, 

CO 

soil,  diseases,  and  natural  productions  of  Africa,  are 
interesting,  and  give  evidence  that  .the  doctor  was  in 
earnest.  The  published  report,  of  which  he  is  the 
author,  will  repay  a  perusal. 

On  his  return  home,  Dr.  Dclany  spent  some  time  in 
England,  and  lectured  in  the  British  metropolis  and 
the  provincial  cities,  with  considerable  success,  on 
Africa  and  its  resources.  As  a  member  of  the  Inter 
national  Statistical  Congress,  ho  acquitted  himself  wijh 
credit  to  his  position  and  honor  to  his  race.  The  fool 
ish  manner  in  which  the  Hon.  Mr.  Dallas,  our  minister 
to  the  court  of  St.  James,  acted  on  meeting  Dr.  Delany 
in  that  august  assembly,  and  the  criticisms  of  the  press 
of  Europe  and  America,  will  not  soon  be  forgotten. 

He  is  short,  compactly  built,  has  a  quick,  wiry  walk, 
and  is  decided  and  energetic  in  conversation,  unadul 
terated  in  race,  and  proud  of  his  complexion.  Though 
somewhat  violent  in  his  gestures,  and  paying  but  little 
regard  to  the  strict  rules  of  oratory,  Dr.  Delany  is, 
nevertheless,  an  interesting,  eloquent  speaker.  De- 
votediy  attached  to  his  fatherland,  he  goes  for  a  "Ne 
gro  Nationality."  Whatever  he  undertakes,  he  exe 
cutes  it  with  all  the  powers  that  God  has  given  him ; 
and  what  would  appear  as  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
other  men,  would  be  brushed  aside  by  Martin  R. 
Delany. 


JAJMES  W.  C.  PEXXINGTON,  D.  D. 

DR.  PENNINGTON  was  born  a  slave  on  the  farm  of 
Colonel  Gordon,  in  the  State  of  Maryland.     His  early 


462  THE   RISING   SON. 

life  was  not  unlike  the  common  lot  of  the  bondmen  of 
the  Middle  States.  He  was  by  trnde  a  blacksmith, 
which  increased  his  value  to  his  owner.  He  had  no 
opportunities  for  learning,  and  was  ignorant  of  letters 
when  he  made  his  escape  to  the  north.  Through  intense 
application  to  books,  he  gained,  as  far  as  it  was  possi 
ble,  what  slavery  had  deprived  him  of  in  his  younger 
days.  But  he  always  felt  the  early  blight  upon  his 
soul. 

Dr.  Pennington  had  not  been  free  long  ere  he  turned 
his  attention  to  theology,  and  became  an  efficient 
preacher  in  the  Presbyterian  denomination.  He  was 
several  years  settled  over  a  church  at  Hartford,  Connec 
ticut.  He  has  been  in  Europe  three  times,  his  second 
visit  being  the  most  important,  as  he  remained  there 
three  or  four  years,  preaching  and  lecturing,  during 
which  time  he  attended  the  Peace  Congresses  held  at 
Paris,  Brussels,  and  London.  While  in  Germany,  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  the  University  of  Heidelberg.  On  his  return  to  the 
United  States,  he  received  a  call,  and  was  settled  as 
pastor  over  Shiloh  Church,  New  York  City. 

The  doctor  was  a  good  student,  a  ripe  scholar,  and 
deeply  versed  in  theology.  While  at  Paris,  in  1849, 
we,  with  the  American  and  English  delegates  to  the 
Peace  Congress,  attended  divine  service  at  the  Protes- 

O  7 

tant  Church,  where  Dr.  Pennington  had  been  invited 
to  preach.  His  sermon,  on  that  occasion,  was  an  ele 
gant  production,  made  a  marked  impression  on  his 
hearers,  and  created  upon  the  minds  of  all  a  more  ele 
vated  idea  of  the  negro.  In  past  years,  he  has  labored 
zealously  and  successfully  for  the  education,  and  moral, 
social,  and  religious  elevation  of  his  race.  The  doctor 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  463 

was  unadulterated  in  blood,  with  strongly-marked 
African  features.  In  stature,  he  was  of  the  common  size, 
slightly  inclined  to  corpulency,  with  an  athletic  frame 
and  a  <rood  constitution.  The  fact  that  Dr.  Penning:- 

c  o 

ton.  was  considered  a  good  Greek,  Latin,  and  German 
scholar,  although  his  early  life  was  spent  in  slavery, 
is  not  more  strange  than  that  Henry  Diaz,  the  black 
commander  in  Brazil,  is  extolled  in  all  the  histories  of 
that  country  as  one  of  the  most  sagacious  and  talented 
men  and  experienced  officers  of  whom  they  could  boast. 
Dr.  Pcnnington  died  in  1871,  his  death  being  hastened 
by  the  excessive  use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  which  had 
impaired  his  usefulness  in  his  latter  days. 


FRANCIS  L.  CARDOZO. 

THE  boiling  cauldron  of  the  rebellion  threw  upon  its 
surface  in  the  Southern  States  a  large  number  of  col 
ored  men,  who  are  now  playing  a  conspicuous  part  in 
the  political  affairs  of  their  section  of  the  country. 
Some  of  these,  like  their  white  brethren,  are  mere 
adventurers,  without  ability,  native  or  acquired,  and 
owe  their  elevated  position  more  to  circumstances  than 
to  any  gifts  or  virtues  of  their  own.  There  are,  how 
ever,  another  class,  some  of  whom,  although  unedu 
cated,  are  men  of  genius,  of  principle,  and  Christian 
zeal,  laboring  with  all  their  powers  for  the  welfare  of 
the  country  and  the  race.  A  few  of  the  latter  class 
have  had  the  advantages  of  the  educational  institutions 
of  the  North  and  of  Europe,  as  well  as  at  the  South, 
and  were  fully  prepared  for  the  situation  when  called 


464  THE  HISIXG   SON. 

upon  to  act.  One  of  the  most  gifted  of  these,  a  man 
of  fine  education,  honest,  upright,  just  in  his  dealings 
with  his  fellows;  one  whose  good  sense  and  manly 
qualities  never  desert  him, — is  Francis  L.  Cardozo. 

Born  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  his  father  a 
white  man  and  a  slaveholder,  his  mother  a  mulatto, 
Mr,  Cardozo  is  of  a  fair  complexion.  He  is  above  the 
middle  size,  robust  and  full-faced,  with  a  well-devel 
oped  head,  large  brain,  and  a  face  of  fine  expression. 
Educated  in  Scotland,  and  having  travelled  extensively 
abroad,  he  presents  the  exterior  of  a  man  of  refinement 
and  of  high  culture,  possessing  considerable  literary 
taste,  and  his  conversation  at  once  shows  him  to  be  a 
man  of  learning.  Industrious  and  methodical  in  his  hab 
its,  still  the  ardent  student,  young  in  years,  compara 
tively,  Mr.  Cardozo  bids  fair  to  be  one  of  the  leading 
men  at  the  national  capital,  as  he  is  now  in  his  own 
State.  He  studied  theology,  was  ordained  as  a  min 
ister,  and  preached  for  a  time  in  Connecticut  with 
great  acceptance. 

As  a  speaker,  Mr.  Cardozo  has  few  equals,  colored 
or  white.  Without  any  strained  effort,  his  expressions 
are  filled  with  integrity,  sobidety,  benevolence,  satire, 
and  true  eloquence.  Forcible  in  speech,  his  audience 
never  get  tired  under  the  sound  of  his  musical  voice. 

During  the  rebellion,  he  returned  to  his  native  State, 
where  he  was  of  great  service  to  his  own  people.  He 
took  a  leading  part  in  the  reconstruction  convention 
that  brought  South  Carolina  back  in  the  Union,  and 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  where  he  was  con 
sidered  one  of  their  ablest  men.  He  now  fills  the  high 
and  honorable  position  of  Secretary  of  State  of  his 
own  commonwealth.  He  is  held  in  high  estimation  by 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  465 

all  classes:  even  the  old  negro-hating  whites  of  the 
"palmetto"  state  acknowledge  the  ability  and  many 
manly  virtues  of  Francis  L.  Cardozo. 


EDMONIA  LEWIS. 

Miss  LEWIS,  the  colored  American  artist,  is  of  min 
gled  Indian  and  African  descent.  Her  mother  was  one 
of  the  Chippewa  tribe,  and  her  father  a  full-blooded 
African.  Both  her  parents  died  young,  leaving  the 
orphan  girl  and  her  only  brother  to  be  brought  up  by 
the  Indians.  Here,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  her 
opportunities  for  education  were  meagre  enough. 

Edmonia  Lewis  is  below  the  medium  height;  her 
complexion  and  features  betray  her  African  origin; 
her  hair  is  more  of  the  Indian  type,  black,  straight, 
and  abundant.  Her  head  is  well  balanced,  exhibiting 
a  large  and  well-developed  brain.  Although  brought 
up  in  the  wilderness,  she  spent  some  time  at  Oberlin 
College,  and  has  a  good  education. 

Her  manners  are  childlike  and  simple,  and  most 
winning  and  pleasing.  She  has  the  proud  spirit  of  her 
Indian  ancestor,  and  if  she  has  more  of  the  African  in 
her  personal  appearance,  she  has  more  of  the  Indian  in 
her  character.  On  her  first  visit  to  Boston,  she  saw  a 
statue  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  It  filled  her  with  amaze 
ment  and  delight.  She  did  not  know  by  what  name 
to  call  "the  stone  image, "  but  she  felt  within  her  the 
stir  of  new  powers. 

"I,  too,  can  make  a  stone  man,"  she  said  to  herself; 
and  at  once  she  went  to  visit  William  Lloyd  Garrison, 
30 


466  THE   RISING   SON. 

and  told  him  what  she  knew  she  could  do,  and  asked 
him  how  she  should  set  about  doing  it. 

Struck  by  her  enthusiasm,  Garrison  gave  her  a  note 
of  introduction  to  Brackett,  the  Boston  sculptor,  and 
after  a  little  talk  with  her,  Mr.  Brackett  gave  her  a 
piece  of  clay  and  a  mould  of  a  human  foot,  as  a  study. 

"Go  home  and  make  that,"  said  he;  "if  there  is 
anything  in  you,  it  will  come  out.'* 

Alone  in  her  own  room,  the  young  girl  toiled  over 
her  clay,  and  when  she  had  done  her  best,  carried  the 
result  to  her  master.  He  looked  at  her  model,  broke 
it  up,  and  said,  "Try  again."  She  did  try  again, 
modelled  feet  and  hands,  and  at  last  undertook  a  me 
dallion  of  the  head  of  John  Brown,  which  was  pro 
nounced  excellent. 

The  next  essay  was  the  bust  of  a  young  hero,  Colonel 
Shaw,  the  first  man  who  took  the  command  of  a  col 
ored  regiment,  and  whose  untimely  and  glorious  death, 
and  the  epitaph  spoken  by  the  South,  "Bury  him  with 
his  niters,"  have  made  him  an  immortal  name  in  the 

DO  ' 

history  of  our  civil  war. 

The  family  of  this  young  hero  heard  of  the  bust 
which  the  colored  girl  was  making  as  a  labor  of  love, 
and  came  to  see  it,  and  were  delighted  with  the  portrait 
which  she  had  taken  from  a  few  poor  photographs. 
Of  this  bust  she  sold  one  hundred  copies,  and  with 
that  money  she  set  out  for  Europe,  full  of  hope  and 


courage. 


Arriving  at  Home,  Miss  Lewis  took  a  studio,  and 
devoted  herself  to  hard  study  and  hard  work,  and  here 
she  made  her  first  statue — a  figure  of  Hagar  in  her 
despair  in  the  wilderness.  It  is  a  work  full  of  feeling, 
for,  as  she  says,  "I  have  a  strong  sympathy  for  all 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  467 


women  who  have  struggled   and  suffered.     For  this 
reason  the  Virgin  Mary  is  very  dear  to  me." 

The  first  copy  of  Hagar  was  purchased  by  a  gentle 
man  from  Chicago.  A  line  group  of  the  Madonna 
with  the  infant  Christ  in  her  arms,  and  two  adoring 
angels  at  her  feet,  attests  the  sincerity  of  her  admira 
tion  for  the  Jewish  maiden.  This  last  group  has  been 
purchased  by  the  young  Marquis  of  Bute,  Disraeli's 
Lothair,  for  an  altar-piece. 

Among  Miss  Lewis's  other  works  are  two  small 
groups,  illustrating  Longfellow's  poem  of  Hiawatha. 
Her  first,  "Hiawatha's  Wooing,"  represents  Minne- 
haha  seated,  making  a  pair  of  moccasins,  and  Hiawatha 
by  her  side,  with  a  world  of  love-longing  in  his  eyes.  In 
the  marriage,  they  stand  side  by  side  with  clasped 
hands.  In  both,  the  Indian  type  of  features  is  carefully 
preserved,  and  every  detail  of  dress,  etc.,  is  true  to 
nature.  The  sentiment  is  equal  to  the  execution. 
They  are  charming  hits,  poetic,  simple,  and  natural; 
and  no  happier  illustrations  of  Longfellow's  most 
original  poem  were  ever  made  than  these  by  the  In 
dian  sculptor. 

A  fine  bust,  also,  of  this  same  poet,  is  about  to  be 
put  in  marble,  which  has  been  ordered  by  Harvard 
College;  and  in  this  instance,  at  least,  Harvard  has 
done  itself  honor.  If  it  will  not  yet  open  its  doors  to 
women  who  ask  education  at  its  hands,  it  will  admit 
the  work  of  a  woman  who  has  educated  herself  in  her 
chosen  department. 

Miss  Lewis  has  a  fine  medallion  portrait  of  Wendell 
Phillips,  a  charming  group  of  sleeping  babies,  and  some 
other  minor  works,  in  her  studio.  At  Rome,  she  is 
visited  by  strangers  from  all  nations,  who  happen  in  the 


468  THE   RISING   SON. 

great  city,  and  every  one  admires  the  genius  of  the 
artist. 

The  highest  art  is  that  which  rises  above  the  'slavish 
copying  of  nature,  without  sinking  back  again  into  a 
more  slavish  conventionalism.  All  the  forms  of  such 
art  are  intensely  simple  and  natural,  but  through  the 
natural,  the  spiritual  speaks.  The  saintly  glory  shines 
through  the  features  of  its  saints,  and  does  not  gather 
in  a  ring  around  their  heads.  It  speaks  a  language  all 
can  understand,  and  has  no  jargon  of  its  own.  It 
needs  no  initiation  before  we  can  understand  its  mys 
teries,  excepting  that  of  the  pure  heart  and  the  awak 
ened  mind.  It  represents  nature,  but  in  representing, 
it  interprets  her.  It  shows  us  nothing  but  reality,  but 
in  the  real,  it  mirrors  the  invisible  ideal. 

A  statue  is  a  realized  emotion,  or  a  thought  in  stone 
— not  an  embodied  dream.  A  picture  is  a  painted 
poem — not  a  romance  in  oil.  Working  together  with 
nature,  such  art  rises  to  something  higher  than  nature 
is,  becomes  the  priestess  of  her  temple,  and  represents 
to  more  prosaic  souls  that  which  only  the  poet  sees. 
The  truly  poetical  mind  of  Edmonia  Lewis  shows  itself 
in  all  her  works,  and  exhibits  to  the  critic  the  genius 
of  the  artist 


ROBERT  PURVIS. 

UOBERT  PURVIS  was  born  in  Charleston,  South  Caro 
lina,  but  had  the  advantages  of  a  New  England  colle 
giate  education.  He  early  embraced  the  principles  of 
freedom  as  advocated  by  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND   WOMEN.  469 

during  the  whole  course  of  the  agitation  of  the  ques 
tion  of  slavery,  remained  true  to  his  early  convictions. 

Possessed  of  a  larae  fortune  at  the  very  commence 
ment  of  life,  Mr.  Purvis  took  an  active  part  in  aiding 
slaves  to  obtain  their  freedom,  by  furnishing  means  to 
secure  fo'r  them  something  like  justice  before  the  pro- 
slavery  courts  of  Pennsylvania,  when  arrested  as  fugi 
tives,  or  when  brought  into  the  state  voluntarily  by 
their  owners. 

Mr.  Purvis  did  not  stop  with  merely  giving  of  his 
abundant  means,  but  made  many  personal  sacrifices, 
and  ran  risks  of  loss  of  life  in  doing  what  he  con 
ceived  to  be  an  act  of  duty.  Though  white  enough  to 
pass  as  one  of  the  dominant  race,  he  never  denied  his 
connection  with  the  negro. 

In  personal  appearance,  and  in  manners,  Mr.  Purvis 
is  every  inch  the  gentleman.  Possessing  a  highly- 
cultivated  mind,  a  reflective  imagination,  easy  and 
eloquent  in  speech,  but  temper  quickly  aroused,  he  is 
always  interesting  as  a  public  speaker. 

Although  he  spent  a  large  amount  in  philanthropic 
causes,  Mr.  Purvis  is  still  a  man  of  wealth,  and  owns 
a  princely  residence  at  Bybury,  some  fifteen  miles  from 
Philadelphia.  With  character  unblemished,  blameless 
in  his  domestic  life,  an  ardent  friend,  and  a  dangerous 
foe,  Robert  Purvis  stands  to-day  an  honor  to  both 
races. 


JAMES  M.  AVIIITFIELD. 

JAMES  M.  WHITFIELD  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  removed  in  early  life  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  where 


470  THE   RISING   SON. 

he  followed  the  humble  occupation  of  a  barber.  How 
ever,  even  in  this  position,  he  became  noted  for  his 
scholarly  attainments  and  gentlemanly  deportment. 
Men  of  polish  and  refinement  were  attracted  to  his 
saloon,  and  while  being  shaved,  would  take  pleasure 
in  conversing  with  him;  and  all  who  knew  him  felt 
that  he  was  intended  by  Nature  for  a  more  elevated 
station  in  life. 

He  wrote  some  fine  verses,  and  published  a  volume 
of  poems  in  1846,  which  well  stood  the  test  of  criti 
cism.  His  poem,  "How  long,  O  God,  how  longl" 
is  a  splendid  production,  and  will  take  a  place  in 
American  literature. 

Mr.  Whitficld  removed  to  California  some  years 
since,  where  he  took  a  forward  stand  with  the  progres 
sive  men  of  his  race. 


PHILLIP  A.  BELL. 

ALTHOUGH  we  have  but  a  meagre  historical  record,  as 
producers  of  books,  magazines,  and  newspapers,  it 
must  still  be  admitted  that  some  noble  efforts  have 
been  made,  and  not  a  little  time  and  money  spent  by, 
colored  men  in  literary  enterprises  during  the  3  st 
forty  years.  The  oldest,  and  one  of  the  ablest  of 
American  journalists,  is  Phillip  A.  Bell. 

This  gentleman  started  the  "Colored  American"  in 
the  year  1837,  as  co-editor  with  the  late  Rev.  Samuel 
E.  Cornish,  and  subsequently,  with  the  late  Dr.  James 
M'Cune  'Smith.  The  paper  was  a  weekly,  and  pub 
lished  in  the  city  of  New  York.  The  "Colored 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  471 

American"  was  well  conducted,  had  the  confidence  of 
the  public,  distinguished  for  the  ability  shown  in  its 
editorials,  as  well  as  its  correspondents. 

Mr.  Bell  retired  from  the  management  of  the  paper, 
in  1840.  All,  however,  who  remember  as  far  back  as 
thirty-five  years,  will  bear  testimony  to  the  efficient 
work  done  by  the  * 'Colored  American,''  and  the  honor 
that  is  due  to  its  noble  founder.  Some  ten  years  ago, 
Mr.  Bell  removed  to  California,  where  he,  in  company 
with  Mr.  Peter  Anderson,  flung  to  the  breeze  the 
"Pacific  Appeal/'  a  weekly  newspaper,  devoted  to 
the  interest  of  the  colored  man,  and  which  has  accom 
plished  great  good  for  humanity.  In  1865,  Mr-  Bell 
launched  the  "Elevator,"  a  spicy  weekly,  the  columns 
of  which  attest  its  ability.  Science,  philosophy,  and 
the  classics  are  treated  in  a  masterly  manner. 

Mr.  Bell  is  an  original  and  subtile  writer,  bas  fine 
powers  of  analysis,  and  often  flings  the  sparkling  rays 
of  a  vivid  imagination  over  the  productions  of  his  pen. 

His  articles  are  usually  of  a  practical  nature,  always 
trying  to  remove  evils,  working  for  the  moral,  social, 
and  political  elevation  of  his  race. 

In  person,  Mr.  Bell  is  of  medium  size,  of  dark  com 
plexion,  pleasing  countenance,  gentlemanly  in  his 
manners,  a  man  of  much  energy,  strong  determination, 
unbending  endurance,  and  transparent  honesty  of 
purpose. 

Of  good  education  and  a  highly-cultivated  mind, 
Mr.  Bell  attracts  to  him  the  most  refined  of  his  color, 
who  regard  him  as  the  Xapoleon  of  the  colored  press. 
Our  subject  was  not  intended  by  Nature  for  the  plat 
form,  and  has  the  good  sense  not  to  aspire  to  oratorical 
fame.  In  conversation,  however,  he  is  always  inter- 


472  THE   RISING   SON. 

esting,  drawing  from  a  rich  and  varied  experience,  full 
of  dry  humor. 

Mr.  Bell  has  a  host  of  friends  in  New  York,  where 
he  is  always  spoken  of  in  the  highest  manner,  and  is 
regarded  as  the  prince  of  good  fellows. 


CHARLES  B.  RAY,  D.  D. 

DR.  RAY  is  a  clergyman  of  the  Presbyterian  order, 
and  has  resided  in  the  city  of  New  York  for  the  last 
half  century.  In  the  year  1840,  he  became  the  editor 
of  the  "Colored  American, "  a  journal  which  ho  con 
ducted  with  signal  ability,  always  true  to  the  cause  of 
the  Southern  slave,  and  the  elevation  of  the  black  man 
everywhere.  Dr.  Ray  is  well  educated,  a  man  of  lib 
eral  and  reformatory  views,  a  terse  and  vigorous  writer, 
an  able  and  eloquent  speaker,  well  informed  upon  all 
subjects  of  the  day. 

He  has  long  been  identified  with  every  good  work 
in  New  York,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
a  large  circle  of  friends. 

In  person,  Dr.  Ray  is  of  small  stature,  neat  and  wiry 
build,  in  race  standing  about  half-way  between  the 
African  and  the  Anglo-Saxon.  He  is  polished  in  his 
manners,  and  gentlemanly  in  his  personal  appearance. 
As  a  writer,  a  preacher,  and  a  platform-speaker,  he  has 
done  much  to  elevate  the  standard  of  the  colored  man 
in  the  Empire  State. 

In  the  multitude  of  national  and  state  conventions 
held  thirty  years  ago  and  thereabouts,  the  assembly 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  473 

was  scarcely  considered  complete  without  the  presence 
of  Charles  B.  Ray,  D.  D. 

In  the  religious  conventions  of  his  own  denomina 
tion,  he  was  always  regarded  with  respect,  and  his  ser 
mons  delivered  to  white  congregations  never  failed  to 
leave  a  good  impression  for  the  race  to  which  the 
preacher  belonged.  Blameless  in  his  family  relations, 
guided  by  the  highest  moral  rectitude,  a  true  friend  to 
everything  that  tends  to  better  the  moral,  social, 
religious,  and  political  condition  of  man,  Dr.  Ray  may 
bo  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  leading 
men  of  his  race. 


JOHN  J.  ZUILLE. 

THIRTY-FIVE  years  ago,  it  was  not  an  easy  thing  to 
convince  an  American  community  that  a  colored  man 
was  fit  for  any  position  save  that  of  a  servant.  A  few 
men,  however,  one  after  another,  came  upon  the 
surface,  and  demonstrated  beyond  a  doubt  that  genius 
was  not  confined  to  race  or  color.  Standing  foremost 
amongst  these,  was  John  J.  Zuille  of  New  York,  who, 
by  his  industry,  sobriety,  and  fair  dealing,  did  much 
to  create  for  the  black  man  a  character  for  business 
tact  in  the  great  metropolis.  Mr.  Zuille  is,  by  trade, 
a  practical  printer,  and  in  company  with  Bell,  Cornish, 
and  others,  started  the  "Colored  American"  in  1837. 
As  printer  of  that  journal,  he  showed  mechanical  skill 
that  placed  him  at  once  amongst  the  ablest  of  the  craft. 

Mr.  Zuille  has  also  taken  a  prominent  part  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  race  in  the 
Empire  State.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been 


474  THE   EISING   SON. 

cashier  of  the  Freed  men's  Bank  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  a  position  for  which  his  ability  as  a  business  man 
eminently  qualifies  him. 

Mr.  Zuille  seems  to  be  but  little  adulterated  in  race, 
short,  thick -set,  pleasant  countenance,  energetic  and 
gentlemanly  in  his  movements. 

His  reputation  stands  without  blot  or  blemish,  and 
he  is  surrounded  by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  whose 
entire  confidence  he  enjoys. 


GEORGE  T.  DOWNING. 

THE  tall,  fine  figure,  manly  walk,  striking  profile, 
and  piercing  eye  of  George  T.  Downing  would  attract 
attention  in  any  community,  even  where  he  is  un 
known.  Possessing  remarkable  talents,  finely  edu 
cated,  a  keen  observer,  and  devoted  to  the  freedom  and 
elevation  of  his  race,  he  has  long  been  looked  upon  as 
a  representative  man.  A  good  debater,  quick  to  take 
advantage  of  the  weak  points  of  an  opponent,  forcible 
in  speech,  and  a  natural  orator,  Mr.  Downing  is  always 
acceptable  as  a  speaker. 

He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  but  resides  at  the 
national  capitol,  where  he  exerts  considerable  influ 
ence  in  political  affairs,  especially  those  pertaining  to 
the  welfare  of  the  negro  race. 

A  diplomatist  by  nature,  Mr.  Downing  can  ' 'button 
hole"  a  congressman  with  as  good  effect  as  almost  any 
man.  Daring  and  aspiring,  anxiously  catching  at  the 
advantage  of  political  elevation,  he  is  always  a  leading 
man  in  conventions.  Upright  in  his  dealings,  uncom- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AXD  WOMEN.  475 

promising,  and  strongly  attached  to  the  principles  of 
justice.  Mr.  Downing  enjoys  the  confidence  and  re 
spect  of  both  white  and  colored.  As  he  is  well  quali 
fied  to  fill  any  position,  we  would  be  glad  to  see  him 
appointed  to  represent  our  government  at  some  for 
eign  court. 


CHARLOTTE  L.  FORTEN. 

Miss  FORTEN  is  a  native  of  Philadelphia;  came  to 
Massachusetts  in  1854,  entered  the  Iligginson  Gram 
mar  School  at  Salem,  where  she  soon  earned  the  repu 
tation  of  an  attentive  and  progressive  student.  She 
graduated  from  that  institution  with  high  honor,  hav 
ing  received  a  premium  for  "A  Parting  Hymn/'  sung 
at  the  last  examination.  In  this  composition  Miss 
Forten  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  genius  of  a  high 
order.  She  became  a  correspondent  of  the  * 'National 
Anti-slavery  Standard,"  and  wrote  some  very  spicy 
letters,  extracts  from  which  were  given  in  other 
journals. 

In  a  poem  entitled  "The  Angel's  Visit,"  she  makes 
a  touching  allusion  to  her  departed  mother,  which  for 
style  and  true  poetical  diction,  is  not  surpassed  by 
anything  in  the  English  language.  In  blood,  Miss 
Forten  stands  between  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  the  Afri 
can,  with  finely-chiselled  features,  well-developed  fore 
head,  countenance  beaming  with  intelligence,  and  a 
mind  richly  stored  with  recollections  of  the  best 
authors.  Highly  cultivated,  and  sensitive  to  the  preju 
dice  existing  against  her  color,  Miss  Forten's  lot  is 
not  an  easy  one  in  this  world  of  ours.  She  still  con- 


476  THE  RISING   SON. 

tinucs  to  write  for  the  press,  giving  most  of  her  arti 
cles  in  the  " Atlantic  Monthly." 

During  the  war,  and  since  its  close,  she  has  spent 
much  time  in  teaching  in  the  Southern  States,  where 
her  labors  are  highly  appreciated. 


GEORGE  B.  VASHOX. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Pittsbuig, 
through  the  schools  of  which  he  passed,  then  studied 
at  Oberlin  College,  graduating  with  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts.  After  reading  law  with  Hon.  Walter 
Forward,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1847.  Mr. 
Vashon  soon  after  visited  Htiyti,  where  he  remained 
three  years,  returning  home  in  1850.  Called  to  a 
professorship  in  New  York  Central  College,  Mr. 
Vashon  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  with  signal 
ability.  A  gentleman — a  graduate  of  that  institution, 
now  a  captain  in  the  federal  army — told  the  writer 
that  he  and  several  of  his  companions,  who  had  to 
recite  to  Professor  Vashon,  made  it  a  practice  for  some 
length  of  time  to  search  Greek,  Latin,  and  Hebrew  for 
phrases  and  historical  incidents,  and  would  then  ques 
tion  the  professor,  with  the  hope  of  "running  him  on 


a  snag." 


"But,"  said  he,  "we  never  caught  him  once,  and 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  the  best  read 


man  in  the  college." 


Literature  has  a  history,  and  few  histories  can  com 
pare  with  it  in  importance,  significance,  and  moral 
grandeur.  There  is,  therefore,  a,  great  price  to  pay 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  477 

for  literary  attainments,  which  will  have  an  inspiring 
and  liberalizing  influence — a  price  not  in  silver  and 
gold,  but  in  thorough  mental  training.  This  training 
will  give  breadth  of  view,  develop  strength  of  charac 
ter,  and  a  comprehensive  spirit,  by  which  the  ever- 
living  expressions  of  truth  and  principle  in  the  past, 
may  be  connected  with  those  of  a  like  character  in  the 
present. 

Mr.  Vashon  seems  to  have  taken  this  view  of  what 
constitutes  the  thorough  scholar,  and  has  put  his 
theory  into  practice.  All  of  the  productions  of  his 
pen  show  the  student  and  man  of  literature.  But  he  is 
not  indebted  alone  to  culture,  for  he  possesses  genius 
of  no  mean  order — poetic  genius,  far  superior  to  many 
who  have  written  and  published  volumes.  As  Dry  den 
said  of  Shakspeare,  "He  needed  not  the  spectacles  of 
books  to  read  Nature;  he  looked  inward,  and  found 
her  there."  The  same  excellence  appertains  to  his 
poetical  description  of  the  beautiful  scenery  and  cli 
mate  of  Hayti,  in  his  "Vincent  Oge."  His  allusion  to 
Columbus'  first  visit  to  the  Island  is  full  of  solemn 
grandeur. 

Mr.  Vashon  is  of  mixed  blood;  in  stature,  of  medium 
size,  rather  round  face,  with  a  somewhat  solemn  coun 
tenance,  a  man  of  few  words, — needs  to  be  drawn  out 
to  be  appreciated.  While  visiting  a  distinguished 
colored  gentleman  at  Rochester,  New  York,  some 
3'ears  ago,  the  host,  who  happened  to  be  a  wit  as  well 
as  an  orator,  invited  in  "Professor  T ,"  a  man  igno 
rant  of  education,  but  filled  with  big  talk  and  high- 
sounding  words, .without  understanding  their  meaning, 
— to  entertain  Mr.  Vashon,  intending  it  as  a  joke. 
"Professor  T "  used  all  the  language  that  he  was 


278  THE  RISING   SOX. 

master  of,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  man  of  letters  sat 
still,  listened,  gazed  at  the  former,  but  did  not  dispute 
any  point  raised.  The  uneducated  professor,  feeling 

that  he  had  been  imposed  upon,  called  Mr.-  D one 

side,  and  in  a  whisper,  said:  — 

"Are  you  sura  that  this  is  an  educated  man?  I  fear 
that  he  is  an  impostor;  for  I  tried,  but  could  not  call 
him  out." 

Mr.  Vashon  has  long  been  engaged  in  imparting 
education  to  his  down-trodden  race,  and  in  this  path 
of  duty  has  contributed  much  for  the  elevation  of  his 
people.  We  are  somewhat  surprised  that  none  of  the 
liberal  colleges  have  done  themselves  the  honor  to 
confer  upon  Mr.  Yashon  the  title  of  LL.  D. 


WILLIAM  H.  SIMPSON. 

IT  is  a  compliment  to  a  picture  to  say  that  it  pro 
duces  the  impression  of  the  actual  scene.  Taste  has, 
frequently,  for  its  object,  works  of  art.  Nature,  many 
suppose,  may  be  studied  with  propriety;  but  art,  they 
reject  as  entirely  superficial.  But  what  is  the  fact? 
In  the  highest  sense,  art  is  the  child  of  Nature;  and  is 
most  admired  when  it  preserves  the  likeness  of  its 
parent.  In  Venice,  the  paintings  of  Titian,  and  ot  the 
Venetian  artists  generall}',  exact  from  the  traveller  a 
yet  higher  tribute,  for  the  hues  and  forms  around  him 
constantly  remind  him  of  their  works. 

Many  of  the  citizens  of  Boston,  New  York,  Wash 
ington,  Philadelphia,  and  other  cities  of  our  country, 
are  often  called  to  mention  the  names  of  their  absent 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  479 

or  departed  friends,  by  looking  upon  their  features,  as 
transferred  to  canvas  by  the  pencil  and  brush  of 
William  II.  Simpson,  the  young  colored  artist.  He 
has  evidently  taken  Titian,  Murillo,  and  Raphael  for 
his  masters.  The  Venetian  painters  were  diligent 
students  of  the  nature  that  was  around  them.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  seems  to  have  imbibed  their 
energy,  as  well  as  learned  to  copy  the  noble  example 
they  left  behind.  The  history  of  painters,  as  well  as 
poets,  is  written  in  their  works.  The  best  life  of 
Goldsmith  is  to  be  found  in  his  poem  of  "The  Travel 
ler,"  and  his  novel  of  "The  Vicar  of  Wakefield." 
No  one  views  the  beautiful  portrait  of  J.  P.  Kemble, 
in  the  National  Gallery  in  London,  in  the  character  of 
Hamlet,  without  thinking  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  who 
executed  it. 

The  organ  of  color  is  prominent  in  the  cranium  of 
Mr.  Simpson,  and  it  is  well  developed.  His  portraits 
are  admired  for  their  life-like  appearance,  as  well  as 
for  the  fine  delineation  which  characterizes  them  all. 
It  is  very  easy  to  transcribe  the  emotions  which  paint 
ings  awaken,  but  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  say  why  a 
picture  is  so  painted  as  that  it  must  awaken  certain 
emotions.  Many  persons  feel  art;  some  understand 
it;  b.ut  few  both  feel  and  understand  it.  Mr.  Simpson 
is  rich  in  depth  of  feeling  and  spiritual  beauty.  His 
portrait  of  John  T.  Hilton,  which  was  presented  to  the 
Masonic  Lodge  a  few  months  since,  is  a  splendid  piece 
of  art.  The  longer  you  look  on  the  features,  the  more 
the  picture  looks  like  real  life. 

The  taste  displayed  in  the  coloring  of  the  regalia, 
and  the  admirable  perspective  of  each  badge  of  honor, 
show  great  skill.  "N"o  higher  praise  is  needed  than  to 


480  THE  RISING  SON. 

say  that  a  gentleman  of  Boston,  distinguished  for  his 
good  judgment  in  the  picture  gallery,  wishing  to 
secure  a  likeness,  of  Hon.  Charles  Sunnier,  induced 
the  senator  to  sit  to  Mr.  Simpson  for  the  portrait; 
and  in  this  instance  the  artist  has  been  signally  suc 
cessful. 

His  likenesses  have  been  so  correct,  that  he  has 
often  been  employed  to  paint  whole  families,  where 
only  one  had  been  bargained  for  in  the  commence 
ment.  He  is  considered  unapproachable  in  taking 
juvenile  faces.  Mr.  Simpson  does  not  aspire  to  any 
thing  in  his  art  beyond  portrait-painting.  Neverthe 
less,  a  beautiful  fancy  sketch,  hanging  in  his  studio, 
representing  summer,  exhibits  marked  ability  and 
consummate  genius.  The  wreath  upon  the  head,  with 
different  kinds  of  grain  interwoven,  and  the  nicety  of 
coloring  in  each  particular  kind,  causes  those  who 
view  it  to  regard  him  as  master  of  his  profession. 
Portraits  of  his  execution  are  scattered  over  most  of 
the  Northern  States  and  the  Canadas.  Some  have 
gone  to  Liberia,  Hayti,  and  California. 

Mr.  Simpson  is  a  native  of  Buffalo,  New  York, 
where  he  received  a  liberal  education.  But  even  in 
school,  his  early  inclination  to  draw  likenesses  mate 
rially  interfered  with  his  studies.  The  propensity  to 
use  his  slate  and  pencil  in  scratching  down  his  school 
mates,  instead  of  doing  his  sums  in  arithmetic,  often 
gained  him  severe  punishment.  After  leaving  school, 
he  was  employed  as  errand  boy  by  Matthew  Wilson, 
Esq.,  the  distinguished  artist,  who  soon  discovered 
young  Simpson's  genius,  and  took  him  as  an  appren 
tice.  In  1854,  they  removed  to  Boston,  where  Mr. 
Simpson  labored  diligently  to  acquire  a  thorough 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  481 

knowledge  of  the  profession.  Mr.  Wilson  stated  to  the 
writer,  that  he  never  had  a  man  who  was  more  attentive 
or  more  trustworthy  than  William  II.  Simpson. 

Of  unmixed  negro  blood,  small  in  stature,  a  rather 
mild  and  womanly  countenance,  firm  and  resolute  eye, 
gentlemanly  in  appearance,  and  intelligent  in  conver 
sation,  Mr.  Simpson  will  be  respected  for  his  many 
good  qualities.  lie  died  in  1872. 


SIR  EDWARD  JORDAN. 

EDWARD  JORDAN  was  born  in  Kingston,  Jamaica, 
in  the  year  1798.  After  quitting  school,  he  entered  a 
clothing  store,  as  a  clerk;  but  his  deep  hatred  to  slaV- 
ery,  and  the  political  and  social  outrages  committed 
upon  the  free  colored  men,  preyed  upon  his  mind  to 
such  an  extent  that,  in  1826,  he  associated  himself 
with  Robert  Osborn,  in  the  publication  of  "The 
Watchman,"  a  weekly  newspaper  devoted  to  the 
freedom  and  enfranchisement  of  the  people  of  color. 

His  journal  was  conducted  with  marked  ability,  and 
Mr.  Jordan  soon  began  to  wield  a  tremendous  influ 
ence  agairst  the  slave  power.  While  absent  from  his 
editorial  duties,  in  1830,  an  article  appeared  in  "The 
Watchman,"  upon  which  its  editor  was  indicted  for 
constructive  treason.  He  was  at  once  arrested,  placed 
in  the  dock,  and  arraigned  for  trial.  He  pleaded  "Not 
guilty,"  and  asked  for  time  to  prepare  for  his  defence. 
The  plea  was  allowed,  and  the  case  was  traversed  to 
the  next  court.  The  trial  came  on  at  the  appointed 
time;  the  jury  was  packed,  for  the  pro-slavery  ele 
ment  had  determined  on  the  conviction  of  the  distiu- 
31 


482  THE   RISING   SON. 

guished  advocate  of  liberty.  The  whole  city  appeared 
to  DO  lost  to  everything  but  the  proceedings  of  the 
assize.  It  was  feared  that,  if  convicted,  a  riot  would 
be  the  result,  and  the  authorities  prepared  for  this. 

A  vessel  of  war  was  brought  up  abreast  of  the  city, 
the  guns  of  which  were  pointed  up  one  of  the  principal 
streets,  and  at  almost  every  avenue  leading  to  the  sea, 
a  merchant  vessel  was  moored,  armed  with  at  least  one 
great  gun,  pointing  in  a  similar  direction,  to  rake  the 
streets  from  bottom  to  top.  A  detachment  of  soldiers 
was  kept  under  arms,  with  orders  to  be  ready  for 
action  at  a  moment's  warning.  The  officers  of  the 
court,  including  the  judge,  entered  upon  their  duties, 
armed  with  pistols;  and  the  sheriff  was  instructed  to 
shoot  the  prisoner  in  the  dock  if  a  rescue  was  attempted. 
If  convicted,  Mr.  Jordan's  punishment  was  to  be 
death.  Happily  for  all,  the  verdict  was  "Not  guilty." 
The  acquittal  of  the  editor  of  "The  Watchman"  car 
ried  disappointment  and  dismay  into  the  ranks  of  the 
slave  oligarchy,  while  it  gave  a  new  impetus  to  the 
anti-slavery  cause,  both  in  Jamaica  and  in  Great  Brit 
ain,  and  which  culminated  in  the  abolition  of  slavery 
on  the  1st  of  August,  1834.  The  following  year,  Mr. 
Jordan  was  elected  member  of  the  Assembly  for  the 
city  of  Kingston,  which  he  still  represents.  About 
this  time,  "The  Watchman"  was  converted  into  a 
daily  paper,  under  the  title  of  "The  Morning  Journal," 
still  in  existence,  and  owned  by  Jordan  and  Osborn. 
In  1853,  Mr.  Jordan  was  elected  mayor  of  his  native 
city  without  opposition,  which  office  he  still  holds. 
He  was  recently  chosen  premier  of  the  Island,  and 
president  of  the  privy  council. 

No  man  is  more  respected  in  the  Assembly  than  Mr. 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  483 

Jordan,  and  reform  measures  offered  by  him  are  often 
carried  through  the  house,  owing  to  the  respect  the 
members  have  for  the  introducer.  In  the  year  I860, 
the  honorable  gentleman  waS  elevated  to  the  dignity  of 
knighthood  by  the  Queen. 

Sir  Edward  Jordan  has  ever  been  regarded  as  an 
honest,  upright,  and  temperate  man.  In  a  literary 
point  of  view,  he  is  considered  one  of  the  first  men  in 
Jamaica. 

•  It  is  indeed  a  cheering  sign  for  the  negro  to  look  at 
one  of  his  race  who  a  few  years  ago  was  tried  for  his 
life  in  a  city  in  which  he  has  since  been  mayor,  and 
has  held  other  offices  of  honor. 

Mr.  Jordan  has  died  since  the  above  sketch  was 
written,  and  no  man  in  Jamaica  ever  received  greater 
honors  at  his  funeral  than  he. 


EDWIN  M.  BANNISTER. 

EDWIN  M.  BANNISTER  was  born  in  the  town  of  St. 
Andrew,  New  Brunswick,  and  lost  his  father  when 
only  six  3rears  old.  He  attended  the  Grammar  School 
in  his  native  place,  and  received  a  better  education 
than  persons  generally  in  his  position.  From  early 
childhood  he  seems  to  have  had  a  fancy  for  painting, 
which  showed  itself  in  the  school-room  and  at  home. 
He  often  drew  portraits  of  his  school-fellows,  and  the 
master  not  unfrequently  found  himself  upon  the  slate, 
where  Edwin's  success  was  so  manifest  that  the  like 
ness  would  call  forth  merriment  from  the  boys,  and 
create  laughter  at  the  expense  of  the  teacher. 


484  THE   RISING   SON. 

At  the  death  of  his  mother,  when  still  in  his  minor 
ity,  he  was  put  out  to  live  with  the  Hon.  Harris  Hatch, 
a  wealthy  lawyer,  the  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  some 
little  distance  in  the  country.  In  his  new  home  Edwin 
did  not  lose  sight  of  his  drawing  propensities,  and 
though  the  family  had  nothing  in  the  way  of  models 
except  two  faded  portraits,  kept  more  as  relics  than 
for  their  intrinsic  value,  he  nevertheless  practised  upon 
them,  and  often  made  the  copy  look  more  lifelike 
than  the  original.  On  the  barn  doors,  fences,  and 
every  place  where  drawings  could  be  made,  the  two 
ancient  faces  were  to  be  seen  pictured. 

When  the  family  were  away  on  the  Sabbath  at 
church,  the  young  artist  would  take  possession  of  the 
old  Bible,  and  copy  its  crude  engravings,  then  replace 
it  upon  the  dusty  shelf,  feeling  an  inward  gratification, 
that,  instead  of  satisfying  the  inclination,  only  gave  him 
fresh  zeal  to  hunt  for  new  models.  By  the  great  variety 
of  drawings  which  he  had  made  on  paper,  and  the  correct 
sketches  taken,  young  Bannister  gained  considerable 
reputation  in  the  lawyer's  famjly,  as  well  as  in  the 
neighborhood.  Often,  after  the  household  had  retired 
at  night,  the 'dim  glimmer  from  the  lean  tallow  candle 
was  seen  through  the  attic  chamber  window.  It  was 
there  that  the  genius  of  the  embryo  artist  was  struggling 
for  development. 

There  is  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  with  regard  to 
genius,  many  mistaking  talent  for  genius.  Talent  is 
strength  and  subtilty  of  mind:  genius  is  mental  inspi 
ration  and  delicacy  of  feeling.  Talent  possesses  vigor 
and  acuteness  of  penetration,  but  is  surpassed  by  the 
vivid  intellectual  conceptions  of  genius.  The  former 
is  skilful  and  bold,  the  latter  aspiring  and  gentle/  But 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN  AND   WOMEN.  485 

talent  excels  in  practical  sagacity;  and  hence  those 
striking  contrasts  so  often  witnessed  in  the  world, — 
the  triumphs  of  talent  through  its  adroit  and  active 
energies,  and  the  adversities  of  genius  in  the  midst  of 
its  boundless,  but  unattainable  aspirations.  Mr.  Ban 
nister  is  a  lover  of  poetry  and  the  .classics,  and  is 
always  hunting  up  some  new  model  for  his  gifted 
pencil  and  brush. 

lie  has  a  beautiful  scene  representing  "Cleopatra 
waiting  to  receive  Marc  Antony,"  which  I  regret  that 
I  did  not  see.  I  am  informed,  however,  that  it  is  a 
beautifully-executed  picture. 

Mr.  Bannister  is  of  mixed  blood,  of  spare  make,  slim, 
with  an  interesting  cast  of  countenance,  quick  in  his 
motions,  easy  in  his  manners,  and  respected  by  all. 


WILLIAM  C.  NELL. 

MR.  NELL  is  a  native  of  Boston,  and  from  the  be 
ginning  of  the  anti-slavery  agitation  was  identified 
with  the  movement.  He  labored  long  and  arduously 
for  equal  school-rights  for  the  colored  children  of  his 
native  city,  where  he  performed  a  good  work. 

Mr.  Nell  is  the  author  of  the  "Colored  Patriots  of 
the  American  Revolution,"  a  book  filled  with  inter 
esting  incidents  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
blacks  of  this  country,  past  and  present.  He  has  also 
writen  several  smaller  works,  all  of  which  are  human 
itarian  in  their  character. 

Deeply  interested  in  the  intellectual  development 


486  THE   RISING    SON. 

and  cultivation  of  his  race,  he  has  given  much  toil 
without  compensation. 

Mr.  Nell  is  of  medium  height,  slim,  genteel  figure, 
quick  step,  elastic  movement,  a  thoughtful  yet  pleasant 
brow,  thin  face,  and  chaste  in  his  conversation. 

A  student,  and  a  lover  of  literature,  he  has  a  culti 
vated  understanding,  and  has  collected  together  more 
facts  on  the  race  with  which  he  is  identified  than 
any  other  man  of  our  acquaintance. 

Mr.  Nell  is  of  unimpeachable  character,  and  highly 
respected  by  his  fellow-citizens. 


IRA  ALDRIDGE. 

ON  looking  over  the  columns  of  "The  Times, "  one 
morning,'!  saw  it  announced  under  the  head  of  "Amuse 
ments,"  that  "Ira  Aldridge,  the  African  Roscius,"  was 
to  appear  in  the  character  of  Othello,  in  Shakspeare's 
celebrated  tragedy  of  that  name,  and  having  long  wished 
to  see  my  sable  countryman,  I  resolved  at  once  to  at 
tend.  Though  the  doors  had  been  open  but  a  short 
time  when  I  reached  the  Royal  Haymarket,  the  theatre 
where  the  performance  was  to  take  place,  the  house 
was  well  filled,  and  among  the  audience  I  recognized 
the  faces  of  several  distinguished  persons  of  the  nobil 
ity,  the  most  noted  of  whom  was  Sir  Edward  Bulwer 
Lytton,  the  renowned  novelist — his  figure  neat,  trim, 
hair  done  up  in  the  latest  fashion— looking  as  if  he  had 
just  come  out  of  a  band-box.  He  is  a  great  lover  of 
the  drama,  and  has  a  private  theatre  at  one  of  his 


KEPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  487 

country  scats,  to  which  he  often  invites  his  friends, 
and  presses  them  into  the  different  characters. 

As  the  time  approached  for  the  curtain  to  rise,  it 
was  evident  that  the  house  was  to  be  "jammed." 
Stuart,  the  best  lago  since  the  days  of  Young,  in  com 
pany  with  Roderigo,  came  upon  the  stage  as  soon  as 
the  green  curtain  went  up.  lago  looked  the  villain, 
and  acted  it  to  the  highest  conception  of  the  character. 
The  scene  is  changed,  all  eyes  are  turned  to  the  right 
door,  and  thunders  of  applause  greet  the  apearancc  of 
Othello. 

Mr.  Aid  ridge  is  of  the  middle  size,  and  appeared  to 
be  about  three-quarters  African;  has  a  voice  deep  and 
powerful;  and  it  was  very  evident  that  Edmund  Kean, 
once  his  master,  was  also  the  model  which  he  carefully 
followed  in  the  part.  There  were  the  same  deliberate, 
over-distinct  enunciations,  the  same  prolonged  pauses 
and  gradually  performed  gestures,  in  imitation  of 
Kean's  manner.  As  lago  began  to  work  upon  his 
feelings,  the  Moor's  eyes  flashed  fire,  and,  further  on 
in  the  play,  he  looked  the  very  demon  of  despair. 
When  he  seized  the  deceiver  by  the  throat,  and  ex 
claimed, — 

"Villain,  be  sure  thou  prove  my  love  false ! 
Be  sure  of  it;    give  me  the  ocular  proof; 
Or,  by  the  worth  of  mine  eternal  soul, 
Thou  hadst  been  better  have  been  born  a  dog, 
Than  answer  my  waked  wrath," 

the  audience,  with  one  impulse,  rose  to  their  feet  amid 
the  wildest  enthusiasm.  At  the  end  of  the  third  act, 
Othello  was  called  before  the  curtain,  and  received  the 
applause  of  the  delighted  multitude.  I  watched  the 


THE   RISING   SON. 

countenance  and  every  motion  of  Bulwer  Lytton  with 
almost  as  much  interest  as  I  did  that  of  the  Moor  of 
Venice,  and  saw  that  none  appeared  to  bo  better 
pleased  than  he.  The  following  evening  I  went  to 
witness  his  Hamlet,  and  was  surprised  to  find  him  as 
perfect  in  that  as  he  had  been  in  Othello;  for  I  had 
been  led  to  believe  that  the  latter  was  his  greatest 
character. 

The  whole  court  of  Denmark  was  before  us ;  but  till 
the  words, 

"  'Tis  not  alone  my  inky  cloak,  good  mother," — 

fell  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Aldridge,  was  the  general 
ear  charmed,  or  the  general  tongue  arrested.  The 
voice  was  so  low,  and  sad,  and  sweet,  the  modu 
lation  so  tender,  the  dignity  so  natural,  the  grace  so 
consummate,  that  all  yielded  themselves  silently  to  the 
delicious  enchantment.  When  Horatio  told  him  that 
he  had  come  to  see  his  father's  funeral,  the  deep  mel 
ancholy  that  took  possession  of  his  face  showed  the 
great  dramatic  power  of  Mr.  Aldridge. 

"I  pra}'  thee,  do  not  mock  me,  fellow-student  1" 

seemed  to  come  from  his  inmost  soul. 

Ira  Aldridge  was  a  native  of  Africa,  born  soon  after 
his  father's  arrival  in  Senegal,  came  to  the  United 
States  on  the  father's  return,  remained  here  for  a  time, 
and  was  then  sent  to  Scotland,  where  he  received  a 
liberal  education.  During  his  latter  years,  Mr.  Ald 
ridge  travelled  extensively  on  the  Continent  of  Europe, 
visiting  among  other  places  St.  Petersburg,  where  the 
Russians  became  wild  and  enthusiastic  over  his  dra- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  489 

matic  representations.  He  died  in  London,  in  1868, 
leaving  a  widow,  a  Swedish  lady,  with  whom  he  had 
lived  happily,  and  in  magnificent  style,  near  London, 
for  several  years. 


OSCAR  JAMES  DUNN. 

OSCAR  J.  DUNN  was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  by 
trade  a  plasterer,  at  which  he  worked  during  his  early 
life.  His  education  was  limited,  but  what  he  lacked 
in  book  learning  was  made  up  in  good  common  sense. 
In  color,  he  was  a  brown  skin,  of  commanding 
appearance,  dignified  in  manners,  and  calculated  to 
make  a  favorable  impression  upon  all  who  had  the 
good  fortune  to  make  his  acquaintance.  Although  born 
a  slave,  he  was,  nevertheless,  one  of  Nature's  noblest 
men. 

Called  into  public  life  at  a  time  when  the  condition 
of  his  race  was  in  a  critical  transition  state,  he  exhib 
ited  powers  of  intellect,  honesty  of  purpose,  and  pri 
vate  virtues  seldom  equalled.  General  Sheridan,  while 
in  command  at  New  Orleans,  early  discovered  the  rare 
gifts  of  Mr.  Dunn,  and  appointed  him  a  member  of  the 
city  council.  He  served  the  city  and  state  in  various 
ways  until  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  lieutenant- 
governor  of  the  state.  Intelligent  upon  all  subjects, 
and  remarkable  for  sound  judgment,  his  opinion  and 
counsel  upon  questions  of  state  were  sought  by  men  of 
all  parties.  As  a  presiding  officer  in  the  Louisiana 
Senate,  Mr.  Dunn  exhibited  parliamentary  talent  that 
at  once  commanded  the  respect  and  challenged  the 
admiration  of  the  most  fastidious;  and  for  dispatch  of 


THE   EISING   SON. 


business  in  his  official  chair,  few  men  in  the  country 
have  been  his  equal. 

But  the  greatest  characteristic  of  this  man  was  his 
downright  honesty.  In  this  he  stood  almost  alone,  for 
while  the  legislature  of  Louisiana  was  charged  with 
being  a  stock-jobbing  concern,  and  its  members,  one 
after  another,  rolling  in  their  new-gained  wealth,  Oscar 
J.  Dunn  was  not  only  above  suspicion,  but  actually 
died  a  poor  man. 

He  was  a  calm ,  vigilant  sentry  for  Louisiana  when 
she  dreamed  it  least.  Firmly  resisting  temptations  to 
sin,  which  too  often  beset  official  station,  he  could 
never  be  made  an  accomplice  with  others  against  her. 
His  inflexible  integrity  was  in  itself  a  mighty  protest 
against  the  shams  of  the  state  administration,  and 
commanded  such  candid  respect  even  from  the  Demo 
crats,  that  of  late  the  authors  of  those  shams,  in  their 
recourse  to  Democrats  for  the  fresh  lease  of  power 
denied  them  by  Republicans,  were  constrained  to  re 
vive  a  prejudice  for  a  pretext,  and  to  charge  him  with 
instigating  a  black  man's  party.  There  existed  not  a 
fact  to  justify  the  charge;  but  a  lie  was  a  fit  auxiliary 
to  new  projects  of  fraud,  and  unhappily,  there  were 
"itching  palms"  to  subscribe  it  per  order. 

His  views  were  most  catholic  on  the  question  of 
class.  He  wanted  amity,  not  jealousy,  between  the 
colors,  for  he  recognized  all  in  the  political  society  as 
brethren,  not  as  rivals.  He  felt  that  injustice  to  any 
one  citizen,  white  or  black,  was,  if  unredressed,  a 
menace  to  all ;  that  our  interests  were  in  common ; 
our  ballots,  honestly  counted,  our  common  consent; 
and  our  influence  for  good,  our  common  basis  of  en 
deavor  for  Louisiana.  His  aims  for  his  race  were  too 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  491 

sincere  to  embarrass  its  progress  by  provoking  anew 
the  old  sectional  spleen  against  it — and  he  tacitly  com 
pelled  in  his  own  case  a  recognition,  which  any  citizen 
might  envy.  Standing  in  a  high  official  trust,  and 
yet  in  a  dark  skin,  he  rebuked  with  quiet,  inoffensive 
emphasis,  the  miserable  heresy  that  a  man  is  more  or 
less  a  worthy  citizen  because  of  his  color. 

As  a  speaker,  Mr.  Dunn  was  not  what  the  world 
would  call  "eloquent,"  but  what  he  said  was  always 
listened  to  with  the  greatest  interest  and  respect.  All 
classes  held  him  in  high  esteem,  and  with  his  own 
color  his  power  was  unlimited.  Attacked  by  a  sudden 
and  sure  malady,  death  swept  him  away  while  in  the 
zenith  of  his  influence,  on  the  twenty-first  of  Novem 
ber,  1871. 


JOHN  R.  LYNCH. 

THE  late  rebellion  has  not  produced  a  more  remark 
able  instance  of  a  self-made  man  than  is  seen  in  the 
career  of  John  R.  Lynch,  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  Mississippi.  He  was  born  in  Louis 
iana,  just  opposite  Natchez,  in  the  year  1847,  of  a 
slave  mother,  then  the  property  of  a  Mr.  Lapiche,  and 
is  now  in  his  twenty-fifth  year.  His  father,  being  a  man 
of  wealth  and  character,  made  the  necessary  arrange 
ments  when  Mr.  Lynch  was  yet  a  child,  to  have  him 
and  his  mother  set  free,  but  by  his  sudden  and  unex 
pected  death,  and  treachery  on  the  part  of  those  who 
had  entered  into  the  agreement  with  him,  the  plan  was 
not  carried  out,  and  both  remained  slaves  until  eman 
cipated  by  the  result  of  the  war. 


492  THE   RISING    SON. 

During  his  time  of  servitude,  and  while  he  was  yet 
a  boy,  Mr.  Lynch  had  a  deep,  irrepressible  desire  to 
rise  above  the  hopeless  lot  to  which  destiny  seemed  to 
have  assigned  him,  and  went  forward  with  the  energy 
which  has  characterized  him  since  that  time,  to  the 
acquirement  of  as  much  education  as  was  within  his 
reach.  He  learned  to  read  and  write  while  a  slave, 
but  no  more.  After  his  mother  became  the  property 
of  Mr.  Alfred  Davis,  she  was  taken  to  Natchez  with 
her  children,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since.  In  1864, 
and  while  the  Federal  troops  were  in  possession  of 
that  city,  Mr.  Lynch  enjoyed  the  opportunity  of  attend 
ing  night  school,  for  four  months  only,  and  that  closed 
all  the  educational  advantages  of  which  he  has  been 
possessed.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  entirely  de 
pendent  on  his  own  efforts  and  resources,  and  his  innate 
desire  to  obtain  knowledge,  for  the  advancement  he 
has  made. 

That  his  career  has  been  most  remarkable  thus  far, 
cannot  be  denied  by  any  one.  This  will  appear  most 
evident  by  a  comparison  of  his  humble  origin  and  the 
many  disadvantages  under  which  he  has  labored,  with 
the  honorable  position  he  now  holds,  and  the  high 
qualifications  he  brings  with  him  to  sustain  him  in 
that  place.  In  point  of  education,  he  is  amply  fitted; 
in  natural  ability  that  is  well-defined,  cultivated,  and 
ready,  he  certainly  has  no  superior  in  the  House.  His 
knowledge  of  parliamentary  law  and  usages  has  been 
tested  in  many  heated  contests  with  the  best  tacticians 
of  the  legislature,  and  proved  to  be  inferior  to  none, 
however  able.  Nor  do  all  these  high  qualifications,  so 
amply  possessed  by  Mr.  Lynch,  contain  all  the  good 
things  we  have  to  say  of  him.  He  has  the  still  higher 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  493 

virtue  of  unimpeached  honesty  and  veracity.  During 
all  the  two  years  of  tempting  trials  that  he  has  wit 
nessed,  it  never  once  was  intimated  that  he  was  even 
open  to  suspicion.  The  record  he  made  during  all  that 
time  is  as  pure  and  untarnished  as  the  driven  snow.  No 
one  ever  questioned  his  integrity,  or  clouded  his  fair 
name  with  the  intimation  that  he  deviated  from  the  path 
of  rectitude  and  right.  If  he  sometimes  departed  from 
the  course  marked  out  by  a  majority  of  his  party,  he 
did  so,  as  he  believed,  in  the  discharge  of  a  solemn 
duty,  and  with  no  other  desire  than  to  do  what  he 
conceived  to  be  right. 

He  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  by  General 
Ames  in  1868,  for  the  city  of  Natchez,  took  a  promi 
nent  part  iu  the  constitutional  convention  of  the  State, 
was  a  member  of  the  last  legislature,  and  now  fills  the 
Speaker's  chair.  Mr.  Lynch  is  fluent  in  speech,  elo 
quent  in  his  addresses,  chaste  in  his  language,  and 
gentlemanly  in  all  his  intercourse  with  others.  Me 
dium  in  size,  genteel  in  figure,  brown  in  complexion, 
with  piercing  eyes,  amiable  countenance,  manly  and 
upright  walk,  Mr.  Lynch  makes  a  dignified  appearance 
in  the  speaker's  chair,  and  handles  the  gavel  according 
to  Gushing.  He  has  been  elected  to  a  seat  in  Congress 
from  his  state. 


WILLIAM   WHIPPER. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  deepest 
thinkers  of  which  the  black  man  can  boasf,  in  our  broad 
laud.  In  early  life,  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
trade  in  Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  in  which  he  se- 


494  THE  RISING   SON. 

cured  a  competency.  Even  while  battling  with  the 
world  for  filthy  lucre,  Mr.  TVhipper  gave  much  of  his 
time  to  the  advocacy  of  the  freedom  of  the  slave,  and 
the  elevation  of  the  colored  men  of  the  North.  In  his 
business  relations  with  the  whites  he  always  left  a 
good  impression  of  the  negro's  capability,  honesty, 
and  gentlemanly  deportment. 

In  1833,  he  took  charge  of  the  editorial  department 
of  the  "National  Reformer,"  a  monthly  magazine, 
published  by  the  American  Moral  Reform  Society. 
Mr.  Whipper's  editorials  were  couched  in  chaste  and 
plain  language,  but  bold  and  outspoken  in  the  advo 
cacy  of  truth.  He  said:  — 

"We  believe  that  Education,  Temperance,  Economy, 
and  Universal  Liberty,  if  properly  carried  out,  will 
prove  a  powerful  auxiliary  in  producing  this  necessary 
reformation,  on  which  rests  the  Christian's  hope. 
They  are  now  producing  wonders  in  our  country,  under 
distinct  and  specific  organizations.  They  are  adhesive 
virtues,  and  as  capable  of  uniting  with  each  other  as  a 
like  number  of  seas  are  of  commingling  their  waters, 
and  forming  one  great  ocean.  If  this  mighty  current 
of  philanthropy  could  become  united  in  one  living 
stream,  it  would  soon  sweep  from  our  country  every 
vestige  of  misery  and  oppression.  And  is  it  not  as 
necessary  that  it  should  be  so,  as  that  a  single  mind 
should  embrace  these  principles  alone?  Our  country 
is  rich  with  the  means  of  resuscitating  her  from  moral 
degeneracy.  She  possesses  all  the  elements  for  her 
redemption;  she  has  but  to  will  it,  and  she  is  free." 

Mr.  Whipper  is  a  mulatto  of  fine  personal  appear 
ance,  above  the  middle  size,  stoops  a  little,— that  bend 
of  the  shoulders  that  marks  the  student.  He  is  remark- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  495 

ably  well  read,  able  to  cite  authority  from  the  ancients, 
and  posted  in  all  the  current  literature  of  the  day.  He 
is  social  and  genial,  and  very  interesting  and  enter 
taining  in  conversation.  Mr.  Whipper  resides  in 
Philadelphia,  where  he  is  highly  respected  by  all 
classes,  and  loved  and  looked  up  to  by  his  own  race. 


T.  W.  CARDOZO. 

MR.  CARDOZO  is  a  native  of  Charleston,  South  Caro 
lina;  is  a  mulatto,  with  a  slight  preponderance  of  An 
glo-Saxon  blood.  He  is  thirty-five  years  old,  and 
therefore,  is  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  was  born  free, 
and  had  advantages  of  northern  schools,  and  finished 
his  education  at  the  Newburg  Collegiate  Institute. 
From  1861  to  1866,  he  was  a  school-teacher.  In  1868, 
he  went  to  North  Carolina  as  a  pioneer  in  the  cause  of 
education  among  the  freedmen,  and  to  establish  a 
normal  school  in  the  eighteenth  congressional  district, 
and  to  use  his  influence  in  procuring  state  aid  in 
organizing  a  system  of  common  schools.  His  success 
in  this  enterprise  was  all  that  the  most  sanguine  devo 
tee  could  have  expected.  He  remained  there  until  the 
schools  were  firmly  fixed  upon  a  substantial  basis. 

In  1870,  Mr.  Cardozo  removed  to  Vicksburg,  Missis 
sippi.  He  did  not  apply  for  any  office,  although  it  is 
well  known  that  all  the  offices  in  the  State  were  in 
that  year  filled  by  appointment  of  the  governor, — but 
he  went  to  work,  and  organized  a  large  school  in  the 
city,  which  soon  took  rank  among  the  first  in  the  State. 


496  THE    RISING    SON. 

In  1871,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  members  of 
the  Republican  party,  he  became  a  candidate  for,  and 
was  elected  to,  the  office  of  Circuit  Clerk  of  Warren 
County.  For  the  manner  in  which  he  has  discharged 
the  intricate  duties  of  that  very  responsible  office,  he 
elicited  the  highest  compliments  from  the  judge  as 
well  as  the  members  of  the  bar. 

Mr.  Cardozo  has  recently  been  nominated  for  State 
Superintendent  of  Education,  a  position  which  he  is  in 
every  way  well  qualified  to  fill.  He  will  bring  to  the 
office  a  practical  knowledge  which  will  be  of  great  ser 
vice  to  the  State,  and  a  lasting  benefit  to  the  race  with 
whom  he  is  identified. 

Modest  and  reserved,  dignified  and  gentlemanly, 
Mr.  Cardozo  is  calculated  to  gain  the  esteem  and  con 
fidence  of  all  with  whom  he  may  come  in  contact. 


LOUISE  DE  MORTIE. 

ALTHOUGH  born  free,  in  Norfolk,  Virginia,  Mrs.  De 
Mortie's  education  was  limited.  This,  however,  she 
strove  to  improve  by  studying  when  the  time  for 
her  school  days  had  passed.  She  came  to  Boston  in 
1853,  we  believe,  and  made  it  her  home.  In  the 
autumn  of  1862,  Mrs.  De  Mortie  began  as  a  public 
reader  in  Boston,  and  her  rare  ability,  eloquent  ren 
dering  of  the  poets,  pleasing  manner,  and  good  sense, 
gained  for  her  a  host  of  admiring  friends,  among  whom 
were  some  of  the  leading  men  and  women  of  the  coun 
try,  and  a  successful  public  career  seemed  to  be  before 
her.  But  hearing  of  the  distress  and  want  amongst 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  497 

the  colored  children  of  New  Orleans,  left  orphans  by 
the  war,  she  resolved  to  go  there,  and  devote  herself  to 
their  welfare.  Although  urged  by  her  relatives  and 
friends  at  the  North  to  leave  New  Orleans  until  the 
yellow  fever  had  ceased,  she  refused  to  desert  her 
post,  saying  that  her  duty  was  with  her  helpless  race. 

In  18G7,  Mrs.  De  Mortie  undertook  to  raise  the 
means  to  build  an  Orphan  Home,  and  succeeded  in  ob 
taining  the  amount  required  for  the  erection  of  the 
building.  But  her  useful  career  was  cut  short  by  the 
yellow  fever.  She  died  on  the  tenth  of  October,  1867, 
in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  She  bore  her 
illness  with  Christian  fortitude,  and  in  her  last  mo 
ments  said,  with  a  childlike  simplicity ,,  "I  belong  to 
God,  our  Father." 

The  announcement  of  her  death  was  received  with 
regret  by  her  large  circle  of  friends  at  the  North, 
while  the  newspapers  of  ftew  Orleans,  her  adopted 
home,  spoke  of  her  in  the  most  eulogistic  terms. 

Mrs.  De  Mortie  was  a  remarkably  gifted  and  brill 
iant  woman.  In  personal  appearance,  she  was  some 
what  taller  than  the  middle  height,  with  a  Grecian  cast 
of  countenance,  eyes  dark  and  sparkling,  lips  swelling, 
forehead  high,  refined  manners,  and  possessing  energy 
which  always  brings  success.  In  fact,  it  may  be  truth 
fully  said,  that  Louise  De  Mortie  was  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  her  sex. 


EBENEZER  D.  BASSETT. 

MR.  BASSETT  is  a  self-made  man,  and  may  safely  be 
put  forward  as  one  of  the  best  representatives  of  his 
32 


498  THE    RISING    SOX. 

race.  Born  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  in  1833,  Mr. 
Bassett  graduated,  the  foremost  scholar  of  his  class, 
at  the  Birmingham  Academy,  when  quite  young, 
and  afterwards  graduated  at  the  Connecticut  State  Nor 
mal  School,  with  high  honor,  in  1853.  He  imme 
diately  thereafter  removed  to  New  Haven,  took  charge 
of  a  public  grammar  school  in  that  city,  and  eagerly 
availed  himself  of  the  facilities  afforded  by  Yale  Col 
lege,  to  prosecute  the  study  of  the  classics,  mathemati 
cal  science,  and  general  literature.  In  1855,  he  was 
called  by  the  Orthodox  Society  of  Friends  to  the  charge 
of  the  Philadelphia  Colored  High  School,  which,  under 
his  management,  became  very  widely  known  as  the 
foremost  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  The 
honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  Lincoln  University  at  Oxford, 
Pennsylvania. 

On  the  elevation  of  General  Grant  to  the  presidency, 
Mr.  Bassett  became  a  candidate  for  the  Haytian  Mis 
sion,  and  so  well  satisfied  were  the  people  generally, 
that  he  received  the  unsolicited  endorsement  of  the 
ablest  men,  colored  and  white,  of  all  paities. 

He  is  a  mulatto  of  medium  size,  prominent  fea 
tures,  nearly  straight  .black  hair,  neat  figure,  gentle 
manly  in  personal  appearance,  intelligent  and  chaste 
in  conversation,  and  possesses  a  high  moral  character. 
He  is  a  ripe  scholar,  well  versed  in  the  classics,  and 
has  much  literary  taste. 

As  a  representative  of  the  United  States  to  another 
government,  Mr.  Bassett  has  more  than  fulfilled  the 
most  sanguine  expectations  of  his  friends,  while  the 
country  generally  regard  him  as  one  of  the  ablest  of 
our  diplomatic  agents.  His  correspondence  with  the 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  499 

Home  Government  has  shown  him  to  be  a  man  of  de 
cided  ability.  Indeed,  Mr.  Bassett's  manly  deport 
ment,  and  dignified  and  high-toned  character,  have 
raised  the  Haytian  mission  to  a  more  elevated  position 
than  it  has  ever  before  enjoyed. 


WILLIAM  HOWARD  DAY. 

Asa  student  at  Oberlin  College,  Wiliam  Howard 
Day  stood  well,  and  giaduated  with  honors.  He  re 
sided  some  years  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where,  for  a 
time,  he  published  a  weekly  newspaper,  which  rendered 
timely  and  efficient  service  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and 
the  elevation  of  the  colored  people  of  that  State.  In 
1856  or  1857,  he  visited  England,  where  he  was  much 
admired  for  his  scholarly  attainments,  and  truly  genuine 
eloquence.  On  his  return  home,  Mr.  Day  became  asso 
ciate  editor  of  the  "Zion's  Standard  and  Weekly  Re 
view."  He  now  resides  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  publishes  "Our  National  Progress,"  a  paper 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  reform,  and  the  elevation  of 
man. 

As  a  speaker,  Mr.  Day  may  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  effective  of  the  present  time ;  has  great  self- 
possession,  and  gaiety  of  imagination;  is  rich  in  the 
selection  of  his  illustrations,  well  versed  in  history, 
literature,  science,  and  philosophy,  a^nd  can  draw  on 
his  finely-stored  memory  at  will.  As  a  writer,  Mr. 
Day  is  far  above  newspaper  editors  generally,  exhibit 
ing  much  care  and  thought  in  many  of  his  articles.  As 
a  speaker  and  writer,  he  has  done  a  good  work  for  his 
race. 


500  THE   RISING   SON. 

He  is  a  mulatto  of  ordinary  size,  has  a  large  and  well- 
balanced  head,  high  forehead,  bright  eyes,  intellectual 
and  pleasing  countenance,  genteel  figure,  and  is  what 
the  ladies  would  call  "a  handsome  man."  Mr.  Day, 
besides  his  editorial  duties,  holds  a  responsible  and 
lucrative  office  in  the  State  Department  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  which  he  fills  with  honor  to  himself,  and  profit 
to  the  State. 


HIRAM  R.  REVELS,  D.  D. 

DR.  REVELS  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  where, 
at  Fayetteville,  Cumberland  County,  he  was  born, a 
freeman,  on  the  first  of  September,  A.  D.,  1822. 
Passing  his  boyhood  and  youth,  until  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  in  North  Carolina,  he  went  to  northern 
Indiana,  the  laws  of  his  native  state  forbidding  colored 
schools.  The  parents  of  the  lad  had  been  permitted 
to  prepare  him  somewhat  for  an  education,  and  he  had 
been  studying,  off  and  on,  some  years  previous  to 
leaving  for  the  North.  He  passed  two  years  in  In 
diana,  attending  a  Quaker  school,  and  then  removed  to 
Dark  County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  some  time, 
and  subsequently  graduated  at  Knox  College,  at  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois;  and  after  that,  entered  the  ministry  as 
a  preacher  of  the  gospel  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  At  this  time  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  His  first  charge  was  in  Indiana.  From 
entering  the  service  of  the  church  to  the  present  time 
he  has  steadily  persevered  as  a  preacher,  and  is  well 
known  as  a  practical  Christian  and  a  zealous  and  elo 
quent  expounder  of  the  word. 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN  AND   WOMEN.  501 

After  some  years  in  Indiana,  he  filled  important 
posts  iu  Missouri,  Maryland,  Kentucky,  and  Kansas, 
in  the  cause  of  the  African  M.  E.  Church.  He  was 
in  Maryland  in  1861,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
and  materially  aided  in  forming  in  that  State  the  first 
Maryland  colored  regiment.  He  was  also  able  to 
assist  in  Missouri  in  raising  the  first  colored  regiment 
in  that  State,  and  returned  to  Mississippi  in  1864, 
settling  in  Vicksburg,  where  he  had  charge  of  a 
church  congregation,  and  assisted  in  organizing  other 
churches,  and  in  forming  and  putting  into  operation 
the  school  system,  visiting  various  portions  of  the 
State  on  his  own  responsibility,  and  among  other 
places,  preaching  in  Jackson.  His  health  failing, 
Dr.  Revels  went  to  the  North  once  more,  after  the 
close  of  hostilities,  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months.  Returning,  he  located  at  Natchez,  where  he 
preached  regularly  to  a  large  congregation,  and  where 
General  Ames,  then  military  governor,  appointed  him 
to  the  position  of  alderman.  In  1869,  he  was  duly 
elected  to  the  State  Senate. 

In  January,  1870,  Dr.  Eevels  was  selected  to  rep 
resent  Mississippi  in  the  United  States  Senate,  the 
announcement  of  which  took  the  country  by  surprise, 
and  as  the  time  drew  near  for  the  colored  senator  to 
appear  in  his  place  in  Congress,  the  interest  became 
intense.  Many  who  had  heard  reconstruction  dis 
cussed  in  its  length  and  breadth, — by  men  of  pro 
phetic  power  and  eloquent  utterance,  by  men  of 
merely  logical  and  judicial  minds,  by  men  narrow  and 
selfish,  as  well  as  those  sophistical  and  prejudiced,  - 
and  who  had  no  particular  interest  in  the  debates, 
still  came  day  after  day,  hoping  to  see  qualified  for  his 


502  THE   RISING   SON. 

seat  in  the  senate  the  first  colored  man  presenting 
himself  for  so  high  an  office,  thp  first  to  be  in  eminent 
civil  service  in  the  general  government. 

At  last,  on  Friday,  February  25,  1870,  a  day  never 
to  be  forgotten,  at  about  five  o'clock,  in  the  presence 
of  the  chamber  and  galleries  crowded  with  expectant 
and  eager  spectators,  the  oath  was  administered  to 
Hiram  R.  Revels,  by  the  vice-president.  Senator 
Wilson  accompanied  him  to  the  chair,  and  he  was  at 
once  waited  upon  to  his  seat  by  the  sergeant-at-arms. 

Saulsbury  had  done  his  best  to  turn  backward  the 
wheels  of  progress;  Davis  fought  in  vain,  declaring 
he  would  "resist  at  every  step"  this  unconstitutional 
measure,  giving  illustrations,  dissertations,  execrations, 
and  recommendations  of  and  for  the  "Negro"  and  his 
Republican  friends;  Stockton,  in  the  interest  of  law 
and  precedent,  begged  that  the  subject  should  go  to 
the  judiciary  committee,  but  the  party  of  freedom 
moved  on  in  solid  phalanx  of  unanimity  to  the  historic 
result.  Mr.  Sumner,  who  had  not  taken  part  in  the 
debate,  raised  his  voice  with  impressiveness  and  power, 
comprehending  the  whole  question  in  a  short  speech 
just  before  the  vote. 

Thus  was  accomplished  the  last  important  step  in 
the  National  Legislature  for  those  once  enslaved,  and 
the  crowning  rebuke  to  the  Rebellion,  especially  as 
the  Mississippi  senator  took  the  seat  made  vacant  by 
Jefferson  Davis  when  his  treason  became  known  to  the 
North  and  to  the  government.  After  the  close  of  his 
senatorial  course,  he  was  appointed  President  of  Alcorn 
University,  with  a  salary  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars  per  annum,  which  place  and  its  emoluments  he 
left, — at  the  desire  of  Governor  Powers,  and  as  he 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND  WOMEN.  503 

thought  it  his  duty,— to  serve  as  Secretary  of  State,  at 
the  longest  possible  time,  for  less  than  oue  year.  He 
had  four  years  still  remaining  of  his  office  as  Presi 
dent  of  the  University;  hence,  financially  considered, 
he  sacrificed  something  in  reaching  the  higher  official 
honors.  It  is  due  to  him  to  say  that  the  appoint 
ment  was  bestowed  unsolicited  by  himself,  through 
the  governor's  belief  in  his  fitness  for  the  position. 
Dr.  Revels  is  a  mulatto,  of  good  address,  of  medium 
size,  hair  curly,  features  somewhat  prominent,  with 
something  of  the  ministerial  air. 


ROBERT  B.  ELLIOTT. 

MR.  ELLIOTT  has  the  honor  of  representing  in  Con 
gress  the  South  Carolina  District,  once  filled  by  John 
C.  Calhoun,  the  most  distinguished  man  of  the  olden 
time  from  the  Palmetto  State.  We  have  not  been  able 
to  inform  ourselves  as  to  Mr.  Elliott's  birth-place  and 
educational  advantages ;  but  we  understand,  however, 
that  he  studied  and  adopted  the  law  as  a  profession,  in 
which  he  stands  high.  He  commenced  his  political 
career  at  the  South,  and  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  of  South  Carolina  in  1868  ; 
was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
South  Carolina  from  July  6,  1868,  to  October  23,  1870  ; 
was  appointed,  on  the  25th  of  March,  1869,  Assistant 
Adjutant-General,  which  position  he  held  until  he  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-second  Congress  as  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Elliott  is  black,  of  unmixed  blood,   strongly- 


504  THE   RISING   SON. 

marked  negro  features,  close  curly  hair,  bright,  aud 
penetrating  eyes,  genteel  in  his  personal  appearance, 
somewhat  English  in  his  accent,  a  good  speaker,  and 
dignified  in  his  manners.  His  speeches  in  Congress, 
and  his  public  addresses  before  his  constituents,  show 
him  to  be  a  man  of  high  cultivation.  With  his  own 
race,  Mr.  Elliott  stands  deservedly  well,  and  com 
mands  the  respect  of  the  whites  everywhere.  In  Con 
gress,  he  is  looked  upon  as  an  able  debater,  and  is 
listened  to  with  marked  attention. 


J.  MADISON  BELL. 

THE  negro's  ability  to  master  language,  his  vivid 
imagination,  his  great  delight  in  rhetorical  exercise, 
his  inward  enthusiasm,  his  seeming  power  to  transport 
himself  into  the  scene  which  he  describes,  or  the  emo 
tion  he  has  summoned,  has  long  puzzled  the  brain  of 
our  deepest  and  most  acute  thinkers.  The  best  test  of 
true  eloquence  is  the  effect  it  'produces  upon  the  lis 
tener.  The  finest  illustration  of  the  self-made  orator 
may  be  found  in  J.  Madison  Bell,  whose  poetic  genius, 
classic  mind,  and  highly-cultivated  understanding  has 
never  been  appreciated  by  our  people. 

In  the  winter  of  1867,  it  was  our  good  fortune  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  this  gentleman,  then  giving 
a  series  of  poetical  readings  at  Washington.  His 
evening's  entertainment  was  made  up  entirely  of  his 
own  writings,  and  they  were  all  of  a  superior  character. 
Mr.  Bell  is  a  rare  instance  of  the  combination  of  the 
highest  excellence  of  the  poet  with  the  best  style  of 


KEPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND    WOMEN.  505 

the  orator.  The  oratory  of  some  men  is  not  easily 
described;  so  it  is  with  Mr.  Bell.  His  masterly  argu 
ment,  acute  reasoning,  and  the  soul-stirring  appeals 
to  the  highest  feelings  of  our  nature  soon  carry  away 
the  listener  in  an  enthusiasm  of  admiration.  His 
descriptive  powers,  both  in  his  writings  and  his  extem 
poraneous  addresses,  are  of  the  highest  order. 

Mr.  Bell  has  spent  some  years  in  California,  where 
he  did  much  for  the  elevation  of  his  race.  He  now 
resides  in  Ohio,  and  exerts  a  good  influence  in  behalf 
of  the  cause  of  universal  freedom.  He  is  a  mulatto,  of 
fine  physical  appearance,  high,  broad  forehead,  coun 
tenance  beaming  with  intelligence,  handsome,  like 
most  of  his  race  who  have  a  mixture  of  Anglo-Saxon. 
Mr.  Bell  was  born  in  Gallipolis,  in  1827,  and  was  in 
early  life  a  plasterer  by  trade,  but  ere  long  he  laid 
aside  the  trowel  for  the  pen. 


J.  MILTON  TURNER. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  a  slave,  and 
resided  in  Missouri.  He  received  his  education  at 
Oberlin  College,  where  he  gained  the  reputation  of 
possessing  remarkable  oratorical  ability.  Whether  he 
graduated  at  that  institution  or  not,  we  have  been  un 
able  to  learn.  It  is  said,  however,  that  he  has  a 
classical  education,  and  is  refined  in  his  manners.  In 
the  last  presidential  election,  Mr.  Turner  was  the 
leader  of  the  colored  citizens  in  St.  Louis,  where  it  is 
asserted  that  he  was  the  most  eloquent  man  on  the 
stump. 


506  THE   RISING   SON. 

After  the  inauguration  of  President  Grant,  Mr.  Tur 
ner  received  the  appointment  of  Consul  General  to 
Liberia,  the  government  of  which  received  him  with 
distinguished  honors.  At  his  reception,  Mr.  Turner 
said:  "In  the  true  spirit  of  progress,  you  have  planted 
upon  these  shores  the  germ  of  a  republic  that  is  des 
tined  not  only  to  develop  a  civilization  worthy  of  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  unborn  generations,  but  by 
means  of  the  Christian  religion  to  debarbarize  and 
benefit  for  almost  immediate  usefulness  thousands  of 
human  beings  whose  intellects  are  to-day  debased  by 
the  destructive  potency  of  heathenish  superstition/' 


HENRY  M.  TURNER,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

OF  our  many  gifted,  enthusiastic,  and  eloquent  men, 
few  have  been  more  favored  by  nature  than  Henry  M. 
Turner.  A  native  of  South  Carolina,  he  seems  to  have 
the  genius  and  fire  of  the  Calhouns  and  McDuffies, 
without  possessing  a  drop  of  their  blood.  Mr.  Turner 
is  a  good-sized,  fine-looking,  brown-skinned  man,  of 
forty  years  of  age,  with  a  splendid  voice,  fluent  in 
speech,  pleasing  in  gestures,  and  powerful  in  his  de 
livery.  It  is  said  that  at  the  tender  age  of  twelve,  he 
had  a  dream  in  which  he  saw  multitudes  of  men  coming 
to  him  to  be  taught.*  That  dream  made  an  impression 
that  followed  him  to  the  present  time,  and  no  doubt 
had  much  influence  in  shaping  his  course  of  life.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  before  he  had  reached  his 

*  Tanner's  "Apology,"  p.  415. 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  507 

twenty-first  year.  He  joined  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  in 
1857.  During  the  rebellion,  President  Lincoln  ap 
pointed  him  chaplain  of  the  1st  Kegiment,  U.  S.  C.  T., 
and  the  first,  too,  of  all  the  colored  chaplains.  He 
resigned  his  pastoral  relations  with  his  church,  and 
followed  his  brother-men  to  the  battle-field,  and  re 
mained  in  service  till  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  his  " Apology,"  Tanner  says  of  Dr.  Turner: 
"He  is  a  remarkable  man;  and  though  at  times  the 
paraphernalia  of  the  kitchen  seems  to  be  in  the  parlor, 
and,  vice  versa,  there  is  always  enough  of  him  to 
demand  the  respect  of  the  most  learned  and  the  admira 
tion  of  the  masses.  More  earnest  than  polite,  a  man 
who  thinks  for  himself,  speaks  as  he  feels,  and  who 
fears  only  God,  his  memory  will  not  cease  with  his 
life — a  man  who  may  truly  say  with  Themistocles, 
*  'Tis  true  I  never  learned  how  to  tune  a  harp,  or  play 
upon  a  lute;  but  I  know  how  to  raise  a  small  and 
inconsiderable  city  to  glory  and  greatness.' 

In  a  sermon  preached  on  the  death  of  the  Kev.  Mil 
ton  Tillinghast,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
Macon,  Georgia,  Dr.  Turner  shows  himself  to  be  an 
able  theologian,  and  a  man  of  the  finest  sensibilities. 
His  "Negro  in  all  Ages"  is  a  production  of  rare  merit, 
and  exhibits  great  research. 


JOSEPH  H.  RAINEY. 

MR.  RAINEY  is  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and  was 
born  at  Georgetown.  His  parents  purchased  their 
freedom,  and  gave  the  son  a  good  education,  although 


508  THE  RISING  SON. 

it  was  against  the  law  to  do  such  an  act.  His  father 
was  a  barber,  and  he  followed  that  occupation  at 
Charleston  till  1862,  when,  having  been  forced  to  work 
on  the  fortifications  of  the  Confederates,  he  escaped  to 
the  West  Indies,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  he  returned  to  his  native  town.  He 
was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con 
vention  of  1868,  and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate 
of  South  Carolina  in  1870,  resigning  when  elected  to 
the  Forty-first  Congress  as  a  Republican  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  non-reception  of  B.  F.  AVhitte- 
rnore,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-second  Congress 
as  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Rainey  is  below  the  medium  size,  of  a  dark 
olive  complexion,  straight,  black  hair,  finely  chiseled 
features,  modest  in  manners,  and  dignified  in  his  de 
portment.  Although  not  what  the  world  would  call 
an  orator,  he  is,  nevertheless,  an  able  debater,  and  in 
his  reply  to  "Sunset"  Cox,  in  the  House  of  Represen 
tatives,  showed  talents  superior  to  the  New  Yorker. 


FANNY  M.  JACKSON. 

Miss  JACKSON  was  born,  we  believe,  in  the  District 
of  Columbia,  about  the  year  1837,  and  was  left  an 
orphan  while  yet  a  child.  She  was  brought  up  by  her 
aunt,  Mrs.  Sarah  Clark.  She  had  but  limited  oppor 
tunities  for  education  in  Washington,  in  those  days. 
In  charge  of  Mrs.  Orr,  she  removed  to  New  Bedford 
when  in  her  sixteenth  year.  After  remaining  here  a 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  509 

while,  she  took  up  her  residence  in  the  family  of 
Mayor  Caldwell,  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  Miss  Jackson  evinced  those  high  attri 
butes  of  mind  which  have  since  culminated  in  the  ripe 
scholar. 

Her  rare  genius  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Cald 
well,  and  by  his  aid,  in  connection  with  Mrs.  Clark, 
she  was  able  to  enter  school  at  Bristol,  Rhode  Island, 
and  begin  the  studies  of  the  higher  branches.  After 
due  preparation  here,  Miss  Jackson  went  to  Oberlin 
College,  where  she  soon  took  rank  with  the  most  indus 
trious  and  progressive  students.  To  enable  her  to 
assist  in  paying  her  increased  expenses,  she  taught 
music  in  families  in  the  village,  and  thereby  aided 
others  while  she  was  helping  herself.  Her  intellectual 
aspirations  and  moral  endowments  gained  the  undi 
vided  respect  and  sympathy  of  her  Oberlin  teachers. 

Graduating  with  honors,  Miss  Jackson  at  once  took 
a  position  as  teacher  in  the  high  school  for  colored 
youths  in  Philadelphia,  where  she  is  at  present  the 
principal.  Her  ability  in  governing  an  institution  of 
learning  has  given  her  more  than  a  local  fame.  She 
believes  in  progress,  and  is  still  the  student.  She  has 
written  some  good  articles  for  the  press,  which  evince 
culture  of  no  mean  order.  As  a  writer,  she  is  a  cogent 
reasoner,  a  deep  thinker,  taking  hold  of  live  issues, 
and  dealing  with  them  in  a  masterly  manner. 

Miss  Jackson  has  appeared  on  the  platform,  and  with 
telling  effect.  In  her  addresses,  which  are  always 
written,  she  is  more  fluent  than  eloquent,  more  solid 
than  brilliant,  more  inclined  to  labored  arguments  than 
to  rounded  periods  and  polished  sentences,  and  yet  no 
period  or  sentence  lacks  finish.  Wit,  humor,  pathos, 


510  THE   EISING    SOS. 

irony,  —  flow  from  her  lips  as  freely  as  water  from  an 
unfailing  fountain. 

Looking  back  at  her  struggles  for  education  and  the 
high  position  she  has  attained  as  a  teacher  and  a  lady 
of  letters,  Miss  Jackson  is  altogether  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  women  of  our  time. 

In  person,  she  is  of  medium  size;  in  complexion,  a 
mulatto:  features,  well-defined,  with  an  intelligent  cast 
of  countenance.  The  organ  of  benevolence  is  promi 
nently  developed,  as  are  the  organs  of  causality,  com 
parison,  ideality,  and  sublimity.  This  accounts  for  the 
elegance  of  her  diction,  the  dazzle  of  her  rhetoric,  and 
the  native  grace  of  her  fascinating  powers.  Irre 
proachable  in  her  reputation,  with  her  rare  gifts  and 
moral  aspirations,  Miss  Jackson  cannot  fail  to  be  of 
untold  benefit  to  her  race. 


ALONZO  J.  RANSIER. 

MR.  RANSIER  is,  in  every  respect,  a  self-made  man. 
Born  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and,  although  hia 
parents  were  free,  they  had  to  contend  with  poverty 
on  the  one  hand  and  slavery  on  the  other,  and  the 
son's  opportunities  for  education  were  poor.  It  is  said 
that  he  never  had  any  regular  schooling.  Yet  he  so 
far  advanced  in  a  common  business  education  that  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  shipping 
cotton,  rice,  and  other  produce  for  some  of  the  leading 
commercial  houses  in  Charleston.  Throughout  all  his 
business  relations,  Mr.  Ransier  gained  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  had  dealings. 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  511 

Immediately  after  the  war,  he  contributed  much 
towards  the  first  Republican  Convention  held  in  his 
State,  18G6,  and  was  chosen  by  it  to  convey  a  memo 
rial  from  that  body  to  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  setting  forth  the  grievances  of  the  loyal  people, 
and  asking  the  protection  and  aid  of  the  government 
in  their  behalf.  He  remained  in  Washington  nearlv 

V 

one  month,  as  a  member  of  what  was  known  as  the 
"Outside  Congress,"  which  was  composed  of  the  lead 
ing  colored  men  from  all  parts  of  the  country .  He  was 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  that  body. 

He  M  as  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention, 
and  presidential  elector  on  the  Grant  and  Colfax  ticket 
in  18G8.  lie  conducted  that  campaign,  as  chairman 
of  the  Republican  State  Executive  Committee,  with 
great  judgment  and  ability.  He  was  auditor  of 
Charleston  County,  and  resigned  it  on  accepting  the 
nomination  as  a  candidate  for  lieutenant-governor. 
Being  elected  by  a  large  majority  to  the  latter  position, 
he  became,  ex-offido,  presiding  officer  of  the  senate, 
and,  as  such,  was  very  popular  among  the  members, 
because  of  his  just  rulings  and  courteous  manners. 

He  is  known  to  be  favorable  to  general  amnesty,  and 
somewhat  conservative  upon  many  questions  of  public 
policy,  but  no  one  has  ever  assailed  his  private  reputa 
tion.  He  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  reliable 
and  influential  men  in  the  South. 

Mr.  Ransier  is  a  mulatto,  under  forty  years  of  age, 
of  good  address,  energetic,  and  at  times  enthusiastic, 
full  of  activity,  genial,  good-natured,  genteel  in  his 
personal  appearance,  and  has  all  the  bearing  of  a  well- 
bred  gentleman.  He  has  been  elected  to  a  seat  in 
Congress,  where  he  will  no  doubt  ably  represent  his 


512  THE   RISING    SOX. 

race,  and  prove  a  valuable  addition  to  the  cause  of 
Republicanism.  As  a  speaker,  Mr.  Ransier  stands 
well,  being  a  good  debater,  always  using  refined  lan 
guage  and  —  what  is  better  than  all,  —  good  sense  in 
his  arguments. 


ISAIAH  C.  WEARS 

To  be  a  good  debater  is  one  of  the  noblest  gifts  of 
God  to  a  public  speaker.  There  are  thousands  of  men 
in  and  out  of  the  pulpit,  who  can  deliver  sermons  and 
addresses,  original  or  selected,  and  do  it  in  the  most 
approved  style  of  oratory,  and  yet  cannot  debate  a 
simple  question  with  a  child.  This  may  seem  extrava 
gant  to  those  who  have  not  been  behind  the  curtain 
with  public  men.  A  proficient  and  reliable  debater 
must  have  brains,  a  well-stored  mind,  with  ability  to 
draw  upon  the  resources  at  will;  then  the  gift  of  gab, 
a  temper  entirely  under  his  control,  and  must  possess  a 
common  degree  of  politeness.  Give  such  a  man  a  fair 
cause,  and  you  have  a  first-class  debater.  We  listened 
to  the  ablest  men  in  and  out  of  the  British  Parliament 
twenty  years  ago,  when  Brougham,  Derby,  Thompson, 
Disraeli,  Cobden,  and  a  host  of  English  orators,  were 
in  their  prime,  and  we  sa't  with  delight  in  the  gallery 
of  the  French  Assembly  when  the  opposition  was  led 
by  Lamartine.  We  spent  twenty-five  years  with  the 
abolitionists  of  our  own  country,  and  in  whose  meet 
ings  more  eloquence  was  heard  than  with  any  other 
body  of  men  and  women  that  ever  appeared  upon  the 
world's  platform.  And  alter  all,  we  have  come  to  the 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  513 

conclusion  that  the  most  logical,  ready,  reliable,  and 
eloquent  debater  we  have  ever  heard  is  a  black  man,  and 
that  black  man,  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch. 

Isaiah  C.  Wears  is  a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  but  a 
native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  is  about  fifty  years 
of  age.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has 
been  a  leading  man  in  his  city,  and  especially  in  the 
organization  and  support  of  literary  societies.  The 
"Plutonian  Institute,"  "Garrisonian  Institute,"  "The 
Philadelphia  Library  Company,"  and  some  smaller  as 
sociations,  owe  their  existence  to  the  energy,  untiring 
zeal,  and  good  judgment  of  Mr.  Wears.  Fidelity  to 
the  freedom  and  elevation  of  his  own  race  kept  him 
always  on  the  alert,  watching  for  the  enemy.  The 
Colonization  Society  found  in  him  a  bitter  and  relent 
less  foe;  and  the  negro,  an  able  and  eloquent  advocate. 

He  has  long  stood  at  the  head  of  "The  Banneker 
Institute,"  one  of  the  finest  and  most  useful  associa 
tions  in  our  country,  and  where  we  have  listened  to  as 
good  speeches  as  ever  were  made  in  the  "halls  of  Con 
gress.  Mr.  Wears  is  not  confined  in  his  labors  to  the 
literary  and  the  political,  but  is  one  of  the  foremost 
men  in  the  church,  and,  had  he  felt  himself  called  upon 
to  preach,  he  would  now  be  an  ornament  to  the  pulpit. 

In  person,  he  is  small,  of  neat  figure,  pure  in  his 
African  origin,  intelligent  countenance,  and  an  eye 
that  looks  right  through  you.  'Mr.  Wears  has  a  good 
education,  is  gentlemanly  in  appearance,  well  read, 
with  a  character  unimpeachable,  and  is  a  citizen  hon 
ored  and  respected  by  all. 
33 


514  THE   RISING   SON. 


JOSIAII  T.  WALLS. 

JOSIAII  T.  WALLS  was  born  at  Winchester,  Virginia, 
December  30,  1842;  received  a  common-school  educa 
tion;  is  a  planter;  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  in  1868;  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State 
Legislature  in  1868 ;  after  serving  one  year,  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  for  four  years  in  1860,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-second  Congress  as  a  Republican, 
from  the  State  of  Florida. 

In  stature,  Mr.  Walls  is  slim  and  thin;  in  complex 
ion,  a  mulatto;  close,  curly  hair;  genteel  in  dress; 
polite  in  manners;  and  well  esteemed  by  those  who 
know  him  best. 

He  sometimes  reads  his  speeches,  which  makes  him 
appear  dull;  but,  in  reality,  he  is  a  man  of  force  and 
character,  and  has  done  a  good  work  in  his  adopted 
State. 

Mr.  Walls  is  deeply  interested  in  agriculture,  and 
takes  pride  in  inculcating  his  well-informed  views  in 
the  freedmen,  whose  welfare  he  has  at  heart.  As  a 
farmer,  he  ranks  amongst  the  foremost  in  his  locality, 
and  his  stock  is  improved  far  above  that  of  his 
neighbors. 


JOHN  PATTERSON  SAMPSON. 

JAMES  D.  SAMPSON,  of  North  Carolina,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  by  his  wealth  and  enter 
prise  as  a  house  carpenter,  gave  the  Sampson  family 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  515 

distinction  in  that  State  many  years  ago.  They  were 
free  people,  of  Scottish  and  African  lineage,  who  val 
ued  education  highly,  and  boasted  somewhat  of  their 
revolutionary  ancestry.  He  educated  his  children  at 
Northern  schools,  and  (by  special  legislation)  before 
the  war,  was  allowed  certain  privileges  for  his  family. 
It  was  a  question,  however,  with  the  authorities,  after 
he  had  erected  several  fine  buildings,  whether  he 
should  be  allowed  to  live  in  the  one  intended  for  his 
family,  although  the  street  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
property  took  his  name. 

John,  Benjamin,  and  Joseph  were  inclined  to  literary 
professions.  Benjamin,  probably  the  best  scholar, 
graduated  at  Oberlin  College;  was  professor  of  the 
classics  at  the  Avery  Institute,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is 
now  filling  a  similar  position  with  credit,  at  Wilber- 
force,  Ohio.  John  P.  Sampson,  the  most  active  in 
public  life,  was  born  in  Wilmington,  North  Carolina, 
1838.  At  an  early  age,  he  was  sent  to  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  acquired  a  common-school 
education;  then  among  the  first  colored  youth  enter 
ing  the  white  schools  of  Boston,  he  graduated  from 
Comer's  College  through  a  course  in  book-keeping, 
navigation,  and  civil  engineering,  but  began  life  as  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York,  until  in 
spired  by  a  speech  from  William  Watkins,  when  he 
gave  up  the  school,  and  engaged  to  canvass  New  York 
under  Horace  Greeley  and  James  M'Cune  Smith,  in 
behalf  of  Negro  Suffrage,  continuing  for  several  years 
in  the  lecturing  field  through  the  West. 

He  published  the  "Colored  Citizen"  several  years 
at  Cincinnati,  the  only  colored  war-policy  paper  pub 
lished  during  the  war,  and  was  aided  by  the  Christian 


516  THE   RISING   SON. 

Commission,  which  circulated  thousands  among  the 
colored  soldiers.  The  paper  was  generally  quoted  as 
the  soldiers'  organ.  At  the  same  time,  he  edited 
through  the  mail  a  paper  published  by  a  company  of 
colored  men  in  Louisville,  Kentucky.  He  studied 
theology  at  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  ordained  elder  over  a  pros 
perous  congregation  in  Alleghany,  Pennsylvania;  was 
principal  of  the  Phonetic  Academy,  at  Bowling  Green, 
Kentucky,  assisted  by  Professor  Murray  and  other  able 
teachers.  He  accepted  an  engagement  in  the  work  of 
reconstruction;  was  commissioned  by  General  Howard 
to  look  after  schools  in  the  Third  District  of  North 
Carolina;  elected  treasurer  and  assessor  of  Wilniimr- 

o 

ton;  nominated  for  the  Legislature,  and  soon  became  a 
prominent  candidate  for  Congress;  and  might  have 
succeeded,  were  it  not  for  some  perversion  of  his 
father's  connection  with  the  purchase  of  slaves  before 
the  war,  in  order  to  assist  them  in  obtaining  their 
freedom. 

•  Becoming  interested  in  the  profession  of  the  law,  he 
gave  up  his  prospects  in  the  South,  stood  a  clerical 
examination  at  Washington,  was  appointed  to  a  clerk 
ship  in  the  Treasury,  read  law  at  the  National  Law 
University,  graduated,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  District  Supreme  Court.  He  soon  became  promi 
nent  in  district  politics,  published  a  spirited  cam 
paign  paper,  was  engaged  by  the  general  committee  to 
speak  in  the  Republican  canvass  of  1872,  and  has  since 
been  commissioned  by  Governor  Cook  as  one  of  the 
justices  for  the  district,  in  connection  with  his  present 
position  at  the  Treasury. 

Mr.    Sampson  is  an  able  writer,  an  eloquent  and  in- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  517 

teresting  speaker,  polished  arid  gentlemanly  in  his 
manners,  and  highly  respected.  In  person,  he  is  tall 
and  slim,  with  a  genteel  figure,  well-balanced  head, 
bright  eye,  and  a  countenance  beaming  with  intelli 
gence. 


BENJAMIN  S.  TURNER. 

MR.  TURNER  is  a  man  of  large  size,  full  chest,  and 
broad  shoulders,  flat  nose,  curly  hair,  and  has  the 
appearance  of  having  experienced  plantation  life. 

Ho  was  born  in  Halifax  Caunty,  North  Carolina, 
March  17,  1825;  was  raised  as  a  slave,  and  received  no 
early  education,  because  the  laws  of  that  State  made  it 
criminal  to  educate  slaves;  removed  to  Alabama  in 
1830,  and,  by  clandestine  study,  obtained  a  fair  educa 
tion  ;  is  now  a  dealer  in  general  merchandise ;  was 
elected  tax  collector  of  Dallas  County,  in  18G7,  and 
councilman  of  the  city  of  Selma,  in  1869;  and  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-second  Congress  as  a  Republican 
from  the  State  of  Alabama.  Mr.  Turner,  though 
always  in  his  seat  during  the  sitting  of  the  House,  is 
very  quiet;  is  seldom  seen  conversing;  votes,  but 
never  speaks;  has  a  reputation  for  good  sense  and 
political  business  sagacity.  He  has  the  unbounded 
confidence  of  his  constituents,  and  is  looked  up  to  as  a 
leader  amongst  his  people. 


P.  B.  S.  PINCHBACK. 

STRUGGLING  upward  from  the  colored  man's  starting- 
point  in  the  South,  and  at  last  reaching  a  seat  in  the 


518  THE  RISING   SON. 

United  States  Senate,  Mr.  Pinchback  has  placed  him 
self  in  the  front  rank  of  the  race  vvliich  his  color 
represents.  His  position  as  Lieutenant- Governor  of 
the  State  of  Louisiana,  at  a  time  when  true  courage, 
manly  vigor,  great  prudence,  and  good  judgment  were 
needed,  showed  him  to  be  in  possession  of  some  of  the 
best  qualities  of  a  statesman. 

The  wily  Warmoth  found  more  than  his  match  in  his 
attempts  to  make  a  tool  of  the  colored  man.  Becoming 
acting  Governor  of  the  State,  he  surprised  even  his 
most  intimate  friends  in  the  ability  he  exhibited. 

For  the  victory  over  Warmoth,  and  the  great  bene 
fit  that  will  accrue  from  it  to  the  State,  the  people  of 
Louisiana  owe  much  to  Acting-Governor  Pinchback. 
Had  he  accepted  the  tendered  bribe  of  Warmoth,  and 
acted  as  his  accomplice,  the  outrages  upon  the  treas 
ury  of  the  State,  the  installation  of  persons  as  State 
officials  against  the  expressed  wish  of  the  people, 
would  have  been  carried  out  without  any  means  of  re 
dress  being  left  in  the  hands  of  the  people.  By  the 
patriotic  action  of  Governor  Pinchback,  the  calamities 
that  would  have  followed  the  continuance  of  the  power 
of  Warmoth  were  averted,  and  a  greater  feeling  of 
security  at  once  sprang  up  amongst  the  masses. 

The  colored  population  of  Louisiana  have  reason  to 
be  proud  that  one  of  their  race  was  so  conspicuously 
instrumental  in  seizing  the  opportunity  for  opening 
the  way  to  rid  the  State  of  that  power  which  had  re 
tarded  its  progress. 

The  statesmanlike  conduct  of  Oscar  J.  Dunn  and 
Mr.  Pinchback  reflects  great  credit  upon  the  intelli 
gence  of  the  colored  citizens  of  that  commonwealth. 

Mr.    Pinchback   is  a  man   of   energy,   eloquent  in 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND   WOMEN.  519 

speech,  gentlemanly  in  manners,  kind  and  hospitable, 
and  is  said  to  bo  a  man  of  wealth. 


JAMES  LYNCH. 

MR.  LYNCH  was  born  in  the  city  of  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  about  the  year  1840.  His  father,  who  fol 
lowed  a  mercantile  pursuit,  was  a  freedman,  and  his 
mother  had  been  a  slave,  but  had  her  liberty  pur 
chased  by  her  husband.  While  quite  young,  James 
was  employed  in  caring  for  his  father's  interests,  and 
there  arc  those  living  who  remember  him  as  a  rcmarka- 
ably  smart  and  fine  appearing  lad,  driving  the  delivery 
team  which  hauled  goods  to  his  father's  patrons  in  the 
city.  As  soon  as  old  enough,  he  was  sent  to  Hanover, 
New  Hampshire,  to  enter  Kimball  University,  from 
which  institution,  in  due  time,  he  graduated  with  usual 
honors. 

After  completing  his  education,  Mr.  Lynch  went  to 
Indiana,  where  he  was  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  for 
some  years.  Ho  then  went  to  Galena,  Illinois,  where 
he  married.  We  next  hear  of  him  in  Philadelphia, 
pursuing  the  honorable  calling  of  editor  of  the  "Re 
corder,"  a  popular  Methodist  publication.  He  was 
known  everywhere  as  an  eloquent  speaker  and  able 
and  fluent  writer,  and  he  moved  in  as  good  society  as 
perhaps  any  of  his  compeers  enjoyed. 

In  the  year  18G7,  Mr.  Lynch  removed  to  the  State  of 
Mississippi,  and  filled  the  pulpit  in  one  of  the  Metho 
dist  churches  in  Jackson.  He  there  became  editor  of 
a  religious  journal. 

Lynch 's   articles   were   always   carefully  prepared, 


520  THE   RISING   SON. 

thoughtful,  argumentative,  and  convincing,  and  un 
doubtedly  performed  a  good  work  wherever  read. 

He  first  became  politically  prominent  in  Mississippi 
in  what  is  denominated  as  the  "Dent-Alcorn"  cam 
paign  of  1869,  when  he  was  nominated  for  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State  by  the  Republicans,  made  the 
canvass  with  the  best  speakers  in  the  State,  and  was 
duly  elected  and  qualified,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his 
decease  had  ably  and  efficiently  filled  all  the  require 
ments  of  that  important  and  responsible  position. 

Mr.  Lynch  was  of  a  brown,  or  coffee  color,  a  little 
below  the  medium  size,  good  features,  gentlemanly  and 
kind-hearted,  a  genial  companion,  and  well  beloved  by 
all  who  knew  him.  He  died  on  the  18th  of  December, 
1872. 


WILLIAM  STILL. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  Jersey,  and  was  born  in  Burlington  County,  on 
the  7th  of  October,  1821.  He  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm  owned  by  his  father  and  mother,  Levin  and 
Charity  Still.  The  immediate  neighborhood  of  his 
birth-place  afforded  but  little  advantage  for  the  edu 
cation  of  the  poorer  class  of  whites,  much  less  for  col 
ored  children,  who  had  to  meet  the  negro-hating 
prejudice  of  those  times;  yet  William's  thirst  for 
knowledge  and  love  of  books  created  in  his  favor  a 
good  impression  with  the  teacher  of  the  common  school, 
which  obtained  for  the  lad  a  quarter's  schooling,  and 
some  additional  aid  on  rainy  days. 

The  colored  boy's  companions  were  all  white,  nev- 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND   WOMEN.  521 

ertheless  bis  good  behavior,  earnest  zeal,  and  rapid 
advancement  gained  bim  tbe  friendship  of  both  teacher 
and  scholars,  and  did  much  to  break  down  the  preju 
dice  against  the  colored  race  in  that  vicinity. 

By  assiduous  study  and  outside  aid  he  became  pro 
ficient  in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  and,  as  age 
advanced,  paid  considerable  attention  to  the  classics. 

The  harsh  prejudice  of  race  which  William  Still  was 
called  upon  to  meet  in  his  business  intercourse  with 
the  whites,  early  made  him  deeply  interested  in  the 
cause  of  freedom,  then  being  advocated  by  the  Aboli 
tionists,  and  he  became  a  subscriber  to  one  of  their 
weekly  journals.  At  this  time  he  was  the  only  col 
ored  man  in  the  town  that  took  such  a  paper,  and  it 
was  hard  work,  with  his  small  wages,  to  meet  its  sub 
scription  and  postage  demands. 

Seeing  the  bad  effects  of  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors  in  the  community,  Mr.  Still  early  adopted  the 
principles  of  temperance,  to  which  he  tenaciously 
clings  to  the  present  day. 

Well-grounded  in  moral,  religious,  and  temperance 
views,  William  Still,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years, 
went  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia  to  reside. 

Although  the  temptations  of  the  great  Babel  were 
laid  before  him,  his  early  convictions  kept  him  from 
yielding. 

The  loii£  connection  of  William  Still  with  the  anti- 

o 

slavery  office  in  Philadelphia,  his  intimate  relationship 
with  the  Pennsylvania  Abolitionists,  a  body  of  men 
and  women  of  whom  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  their 
praise,  and  the  deep  interest  he  felt  in  the  fleeing 
bondmen  passing  through  that  city  to  Canada,  has 


522  THE   RISING   SON. 

brought  him  very  prominently  before  the  American 
people. 

Mr.  Still  is  well  educated,  has  good  talents,  and  has 
cultivated  them.  He  is  an  interesting  and  forcible 
writer,  and  some  of  the  stories  of  escaped  slaves, 
which  he  has  recently  put  forth  in  his  valuable  work, 
4 'The  Underground  Railroad,"  point  him  out  as  one  of 
the  best  benefactors  of  his  race.  After  the  beinn- 

o 

ning  of  the  war  of  the  slaveholders  had  made  it  certain 
that  slavery  would  be  abolished,  and  the  close  of  the 
anti-slavery  office  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Still  went  into 
the  coal  trade,  by  which  he  has  become  independent. 

Upright  and  honest  in  all  his  dealings,  a  faithful 
friend,  blameless  in  his  family  relations,  an  affectionate 
husband  and  father,  we  have  always  taken  pride  in 
putting  forth  William  Still  as  a  model  man. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  of  medium  size,  una 
dulterated  in  race,  prominent  and  regular  features, 
always  a  smile  upon  his  countenance,  affable,  humor 
ous,  neat  in  his  person,  gentlemanly  in  his  deport 
ment,  and  interesting  in  his  conversation.  With  all 
classes  of  good  men  and  women  who  know  him,  both 
colored  and  white,  no  man  stands  higher,  or  is  re 
garded  with  more  confidence,  than  William  Still. 


PETER  H.  CLARK. 


As  an  acute  thinker,  an  eloquent  and  splendid 
speaker,  possessing  rare  intellectual  gifts,  fine  educa 
tion  with  large  culture,  a  moral  nature  full  of  sympa 
thy  and  benevolence  for  all  mankind,  Peter  II.  Clark 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  523 

justly  stands  in  the  foremost  rank  of  the  noted  men  of 
his  race.  Although  not  an  old  man,  Mr.  Clark  has, 
for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  all  of  the  great  conventions  called  to  consider 
the  condition,  and  the  best  means  for  the  moral,  social, 
and  political  elevation  of  the  colored  population  of  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Clark  was  associated  with  Fred 
erick  Douglass  in  the  editorial  management  of  the 
"North  Star"  twenty  years  ago,  and  his  articles  were 
always  fresh,  vigorous,  and  telling. 

In  the  various  political  contests  in  the  State  of  Ohio 
for  the  last  ten  years,  he  has  taken  a  foremost  position, 
and  his  appearance  at  public  meetings  in  Hamilton 
County  has  done  much  towards  annihilating  the  preju 
dice  so  rampant  in  that  section. 

His  argumentative  speeches,  scholastic  attainments, 
and  gentlemanly  bearing,  have  been  of  untold  benefit  to 
his  race  throughout  Ohio. 

During  the  Rebellion,*  when  the  colored  citizens  of 
Cincinnati  were  sorely  and  cruelly  abused,  Peter  H. 
Clark  stepped  forward  as  their  representative  man,  and 
nobly  did  he  do  his  duty. 

The  history  of  "The  Black  Brigade,"  written  at 
that  time,  did  him  great  credit,  and  was  of  immense 
value  to  the  black  man. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  resident  of  Cincinnati,  and  is  the 
principal  of  the  Gaines  High  School  in  that  city.  To 
him,  probably  more  than  to  any  other  man,  are  the 
colored  people  there  indebted  for  the  inculcation  of  the 
creditable  desire  for  education  and  advancement  true 
of  them. 

He  is  somewhat  below  the  middle  size,  thin,  sharp 
features,  bright  eye,  rather  of  a  dyspeptic  appearance, 


524  THE  RISING  SON. 

hospitable  and  kind,  upright  and  gentlemanly  in  all 
the  relations  of  life,  with  a  host  of  admirers  wherever 
he  is  known.  No  man  has  been  truer  to  his  oppressed 
people  than  Peter  H.  Clark,  and  none  are  more  de 
serving  of  their  unlimited  confidence  than  he. 

To  the  pen  of  Mr.  Clark  we  are  indebted  for  the 
sketch  of  John  I.  Gaines,  in  this  work. 


FRANCES  ELLEN  HARPER. 

MRS.  HARPER  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  was  born 
in  Baltimore,  in  1825,  of  free  parents.  What  she  was 
deprived  of  in  her  younger  days  in  an  educational 
point  of  view,  she  made  up  in  after  years,  and  is  now 
considered  one  of  the  most  scholarly  and  well-read 
women  of  the  day.  Her  poetic  genius  was  early  de 
veloped,  and  some  of  her  poems,  together  with  a  few 
prose  articles,  with  the  title  of  * 'Forest  Leaves,"  were 
published,  and  attracted  considerable  attention,  even 
before  she  became  known  to  the  public  through  her 
able  platform  orations. 

An  article  on  " Christianity,"  by  Mrs.  Harper,  will 
stand  a  comparison  with  any  paper  of  the  kind  in  the 
English  language. 

Feeling  deeply  the  injury  inflicted  upon  her  race, 
she  labored  most  effectually  by  both  pen  and  speech 
for  the  overthrow  of  slavery,  and  for  ten  years  before 
the  commencement  of  the  Rebellion,  the  press  through 
out  the  free  states  recorded  her  efforts  as  amongst  the 
ablest  made  in  the  country. 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  525 

Few  of  our  American  poets  have  written  verses  more 
pointed  against  existing  evils,  than  Frances  Ellen 
Harper.  Her  eloquent  poem,  "To  the  Union  Savers 
of  Cleveland,"  on  the  return  of  a  fugitive  slave  to  her 
master  at  the  South,  will  always  be  read  with  a  feeling 
of  indignation  against  the  people  of  the  North  who 
could  suffer  such  things  to  be  done. 

"The  Slave  Mother"  will  stand  alongside  of  Whit- 

o 

tier's  best  poems  on  the  "Peculiar  Institution."  The 
poems  on  "The  Proclamation,"  and  the  "Fifteenth 
Amendment,"  will  be  read  by  her  race  with  delight  in 
after  ages. 

All  of  Mrs.  Harper's  writings  are  characterized  by 
chaste  language,  much  thought,  and  a  soul-stirring 
ring  that  are  refreshing  to  the  reader. 

As  a  speaker,  she  ranks  deservedly  high;  her  argu 
ments  are  forcible,  her  appeals  pathetic,  her  logic 
fervent,  her  imagination  fervid,  and  her  delivery 
original  and  easy.  Mrs.  Harper  is  dignified  both  in 
public  and  in  private,  yet  witty  and  sociable.  She  is 
the  ablest  colored  lady  who  has  ever  appeared  in 
public  in  our  country,  and  is  an  honor  to  the  race  she 
represents. 

In  person,  Mrs.  Harper  is  tall,  and  of  neat  figure; 
mulatto  in  color,  bright  eyes,  smiling  countenance,  and 
intelligent  in  conversation. 


WILLIAM  F.  BUTLER. 

MR.  BUTLER  is  a  native  of  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
and  came  to  the  States  in  1853.     Three  years  later,  he 


526  THE   RISING   SON. 

was  ordained  by  Rev.  William  II.  Bishop,  and  began 
as  a  preacher  of  the  Zion  M.  E.  Church.  He  is  now 
pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Church,  New  York.  For  the 
past  three  or  four  years,  Mr.  Butler  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  politics  of  the  Empire  State,  and  was  sent 
as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
that  nominated  General  Grant  for  his  second  term, 
and  in  which  assembly  he  exercised  considerable  influ 
ence  with  the  colored  delegates  from  the  South. 

Mr.  Butler  is  a  man  of  good  education,  well  read, 
of  retentive  memory,  able  in  debate,  quick  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  an  opponent,  an  eloquent,  extemporaneous 
speaker,  and  popular  with  the  masses. 

He  is  considered  * 'headstrong"  by  the  older  preach 
ers  of  "Zion,"  and  came  out  from  that  connection  a 
few  years  since,  and  has  built  up  the  church  over  which 
he  now  presides.  He  has  great  energy  and  force  of 
character,  and  will  generally  be  found  in  the  front 
rank,  rather  than  as  a  follower.  In  stature,  Mr. 
Butler  is  below  the  medium,  of  neat  figure,  genteel 
in  appearance,  of  mixed  blood,  sharp,  bright  eyes, 
pleasing  countenance,  easy  in  manners,  and  interesting 
in  conversation.  He  is  about  thirty  years  of  age.  In  all 
emergencies,  he  has  been  considered  true  to  his  race, 
and  may  be  regarded  as  a  representative  man. 


T.  MORRIS  CHESTER. 

MR.  CHESTER  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  is  by 
profession ,  a  lawyer.  He  spent  some  years  in  Liberia, 
returned  home,  and  took  an  honorable  part  in  the 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  527 

war  of  the  Rebellion.  He  has  travelled  extensively 
in  Europe,  making  a  good  impression  wherever  he 
appeared.  In  18G7,  Hon.  C.  M.  Clay,  Minister  to 
Eussia,  in  a  correspondence  with  the  State  Department 
at  Washington,  said  of  Mr.  Chester's  visit  to  St. 
Petersburg:  — 

"Sin: — Captain  T.  Morris  Chester,  late  of  the 
United  States  Volunteer  Army,  being  in  St.  Peters 
burg,  coming  well  recommended  by  distinguished  citi 
zens  of  the  United  States,  and  being  also  well  educated, 
and  of  good*  address,  I  called  upon  the  minister  of 
foreign  affairs,  and  told  him  that  I  would  not  apply 
in  the  usual  way,  by  note,  to  have  Captain  Chester,  a 
colored  American  citizen,  presented  to  his  Imperial 
Majesty,  as  there  was  no  precedent,  and  I  did  not 
know  how  his  Imperial  Majesty  would  be  disposed  to 
act;  but  I  desired  that  he  would  approach  his  Impe 
rial  Majesty  in  an  informal  way,  and  ascertain  his 
wishes  in  this  regard.  The  assistant  minister  of  for 
eign  affairs,  Mr.  De  Westmann,  acquiesced  in  the  pro 
posal,  and,  in  a  few  days,  wrote  me  that  the  Emperor 
had  given  orders  to  have  Captain  Chester's  name  put 
upon  the  list  of  persons  for  the  first  presentation. 

" To-day  being  the  occasion  of  a  grand  review  of 
the  imperial  guard,  the  Emperor  sent  an  invitation  to 
Captain  Chester  to  assist  in  the  review,  which  he  did, 
riding  around  with  his  Imperial  Majesty's  staff,  and 
taking  lunch  at  the  winter  palace  with  the  staff  offi 
cers  and  a  portion  of  the  Imperial  family,  who  accom 
panied  the  Emperor  at  the  lunch. 

"I  have  made  these  facts  known  to  you,  as  I  regard 
the  affair  of  some  importance.  We  have  four  millions 


528  THE   RISING   SON. 

of  colored  citizens;  they  are  with  us,  and  of  us,  for 
good  as  well  as  evil. 

"I  think  that  it  is  the  duty  of  all  good  citizens  to 
try  and  elevate  the  African  race  in  America,  and  in 
spire  them  with  all  possible  self-respect,  and  prepare 
them  for  that  ultimate  influence  which  they  must 
sooner  or  later  have,  upon  the  political  and  economical 
interests  of  the  United  States.  These  are  the  views 
which  have  influenced  my  action  in  this  case,  which, 
not  partisan  in  their  character,  I  should  hope  would 
be  satisfactory  to  all  patriotic  American^." 

Mr.  Chester  is  of  pure  African  origin,  a  splendid 
looking  man,  with  manners  highly  cultivated. 


JOSEPH  J.  CLINTON,  D.  D. 

JOSEPH  J.  CLINTON  is  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  born 
October  3,  1823,  possesses  a  good,  common-school  edu 
cation,  studied  at  the  Alleghany  Institute,  but  did  not 
graduate.  He  was  apprenticed  to  Francis  Chew,  a 
hair-worker,  and  learned  that  trade.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen,  he  experienced  religion,  joined  the  Zion  Metho 
dist  denomination,  and  became  an  ardent  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  Christ.  He  began  as  a  lay  preacher,  at 
the  early  age  of  seventeen.  At  eighteen,  he  went  into 
business  for  himself  in  the  hair  work,  yet  continued 
dispensing  the  Gospel  to  those  who  would  hear. 

In  1843,  Bishop  Clinton  was  ordained  an  elder,  and 
in  1856,  was  made  bishop.  During  the  civil  war,  he 
spent  almost  his  entire  time  at  the  South.  As  chap 
lain  of  the  First  United  States  Colored  Regiment, 
Colonel  Holman,  Mr.  Clinton  did  a  good  work 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  529 

amongst  his  race.  lie  did  not  confine  himself  to  mere 
camp  duties,  but  performed  a  mission  work  which  had 
its  influence  amongst  the  slaves,  far  and  wide.  Seeing 
that  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  was  of  greater  importance 
than  remaining  with  a  regiment,  Bishop  Clinton  gave 
himself  entirely  up  to  gospel  missionary  work.  He 
organized  ten  conferences,  ordained  and  licensed  seven 
hundred  ministers,  admitted  two  hundred  thousand 
members  in  the  denomination,  brought  one  hundred 
thousand  children  into  the  Sabbath  School,  and  trav 
elled  in  all  of  the  Southern  States.  In  1869,  he  visited 
California,  and  organized'  a  conference  in  San  Fran 
cisco. 

In  person,  Bishop  Clinton  is  stout,  fleshy,  and  well- 
proportioned.  He  has  a  full  face,  which  indicates  the 
best  of  health  and  happy  contentment;  countenance 
mild,  benignant  and  thoughtful,  with  an  expression  of 
integrity,  denoting  his  inability  to  do  a  mean  thing. 
The  bishop  is  a  good  dcclaimer,  and  the  outbursting  and 
overwhelming  effusions  of  his  natural  eloquence,  the 
striking  originality  of  his  conceptions,  the  irresistible 
power  of  his  captivating  voice,  the  vivid  and  copious 
display  of  illustration,  thrill  and  charm  the  hearer. 
He  is  justly  popular  with  the  public,  as  well  as  with  his 
own  denomination.  He  presides  in  the  conferences  with 
great  dignity  and  impartiality,  deciding  questions  ac 
cording  to  Cushing  and  justice,  and  without  fear  or 
favor.  Bishop  Clinton  resides  in  the  city  of  Phila 
delphia,  surrounded  by  a  loving  family  and  a  host  of 
admiring  friends. 
34 


530  THE   RISING   SON. 


BENJAMIN  T.  TANNER,  D.  D. 

DR.  TANNER  is  the  editor  of  the  "Christian  Re 
corder,"  the  organ  of  the  African  Methodist  Episco 
pal  Church  (Bethel).  He  is  a  mulatto  of  medium  size, 
modest  and  genteel,  social  and  pleasant  in  conversa 
tion,  and  has  a  classical  education.  Tanner's  "Apol 
ogy  for  African  Methodism,"  is  the  ablest  written 
work  yet  produced  upon  that  subject.  In  it,  he  em 
ploys  facts  and  statistics,  but  they  have  the  varied 
beauty  of  the  rainbow,  and  the  golden  glow  of  the 
sunlight,  when  viewed  through  the  prism  of  his  rich 
imagination.  There  are  but  few  men  who  can  excel 
him  in  description;  indeed,  he  wields  a  masterly  pen 
in  that  department  of  literature,-  every  idea  being  full 
of  thought.  As  -editor  of  "The  Recorder,"  he  has 
written  many  witty,  pithy,  and  brilliant  sentiments. 
There  is  a  tinge  of  opulent  fancy  running  through  his 
editorials  which  always  refreshes  one.  As  a  speaker, 
Dr.  Tanner  ranks  well,  being  fluent,  ready,  easy  in  his 
manner,  and  reliable  in  his  statements. 

The  wide  reputation  of  his  journal,  outside  of  his 
own  denomination,  is  probably  the  best  test  of  his 
ability  as  a  newspaper  conductor.  He  has  done  much 
to  build  up  Methodism  among  our  people,  and  to  incul 
cate  the  feeling  for  a  better  educated  ministry,  which 
is  everywhere  needed.  Dr.  Tanner's  efforts  towards 
the  elevation  of  his  race  have  been  of  lasting  good, 
and,  as  he  is  still  a  young  man,  we  look  forward  to  his 
accomplishing  more  in  the  large  field  before  him.  As 
a  citizen  of  Philadelphia,  he  is  enterprising,  energetic, 
and  works  for  the  public  good.  He  is  highly  respected 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  531 

by  all  classes,  and  justly  holds  the  position  of  a  repre 
sentative  man,  whose  title  was  gained  by  merit,  and 
not  by  favor. 


SINGLETON  T.  JONES,  D.  D. 

SINGLETON  T.  JONES  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  about  fifty  years  of  age.  Ke  is  tall,  and  of  a 
fine  figure,  pleasing  countenance,  bright  eye,  and  un 
adulterated  in  race  and  color.  He  commenced  travel 
ling  as  a  preacher  of  the  Zion  Methodist  denomination 
in  the  year  1847,  and  was  ordained  a  bishop  in  18G8. 
lie  is  a  man  of  surpassing  power  and  eloquence.  His 
sermons  are  brilliant  with  unmeasured  poetry,  and 
abound  in  wit,  invective,  glowing  rhetoric,  and  logic. 

The  bishop  often  surprises  his  attentive  listeners 
with  his  historical  knowledge.  When  in  the  pulpit,  he 
throws  light  on  the  subject  by  the  coruscations  of  his 
wit,  drives  home  a  truth  by  solid  argument,  and 
clinches  it  by  a  quotation  from  Scripture,  and  a  thrilling 
and  pointed  appeal  which  moves  his  audience  like  a 
shock  from  an  electric  battery.  No  one  sleeps  under 
the  preaching  of  Bishop  Jones,  for  he  has  long  been 
considered  the  most  eloquent  man  in  his  denomination. 
His  character  is  without  a  blemish,  and  he  is  blest 
with  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  the  happiest  family 
relations. 


JERMIN  W.  LOGUEN. 

BORN  a  slave  at  the   South,   and  escaping   to  the 
free  states  some  thirty  years  ago,  Jermin  W.  Loguen 


532  THE   RISING    SON. 

passed  through  the  fiery  ordeal  that  awaited  every 
fugitive  lecturer  or  preacher  in  those  days.  He  was 
among  the  earliest  of  those  to  take  stock  in  the  under 
ground  railroad,  and  most  nobly  did  he  do  his  work. 
For  more  than  twenty  years  Bishop  Loguen  labored  in 
season  and  out  of  season,  in  western  New  York,  as  an 
efficient  conductor  on  the  road,  helping  the  fugitive 
on  his  way  to  Canada.  As  a  lecturer,  his  varied  expe 
rience,  eloquent  and  effective  speeches,  did  much  to 
change  public  opinion  in  behalf  of  liberty. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  very  popular  with  the  Zion 
Methodist  denomination,  with  whom  he  acted.  His 
education  was  limited,  yet  he  used  good  language,  both 
in  his  sermons  and  addresses.  He  was  made  a  bishop 
some  time  about  1868,  and  discharged  his  duties  with 
credit  to  himself,  and  satisfaction  to  his  people. 

But  Bishop  Loguen  will  be  remembered  longer  for 
his  humanitarian  work.  If  to  have  been  true  and 
faithful  to  the  cause  of  his  people  in  the  day  of  their 
sorrow  and  destitution,  when  friends  were  few,  and 
enemies  were  many;  if  to  have  been  eyes  to  the  blind, 
legs  to  the  lame,  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  shelter  to 
the  outcast  of  our  afflicted  and  hunted  people  when  it 
was  the  fashion  in  America  to  hunt  men;  if  to  have 
devoted  a  whole  life  to  works  of  humanity  and  justice, 
entitles  a  man  to  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
men,  and  especially,  of  the  class  benefited,  Jermin  W. 
Loguen  has  well  earned  such  respect  and  esteem. 

In  person,  he  was  of  large  frame,  of  mixed  blood, 
strong,  manly  voice,  fine  countenance,  genteel  in  his 
manners,  and  interesting  in  conversation.  He  died  in 
1871. 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AND   WOMEN.  533 

RUFUS  L.  PERRY. 

"TiiE  NATIONAL  MONITOR"  is  a  wide-awake  journal, 
edited  by  Rufus.L.  Perry,  a  live  man,  in  every  sense  of 
the  term.  As  corresponding  secretary  of  "The  Con 
solidated  American  Educational  Association,"  Mr. 
Perry  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  cause  of  educa 
tion  at  the  South  amongst  the  freedmen  who  so  much 
need  such  efforts.  His  society  is  mainly  engaged  in 
sending  into  the  field  approved  missionary  preachers 
and  teachers;  organizing  schools  and  missions  on  a 
self-sustaining  basis,  in  the  more  interior  portions  of 
the  South;  looking  up,  and  having  on  hand,  qualified 
colored  teachers,  to  send  out  as  they  may  be  called  for. 

The  association  is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Baptist 
denomination,  and  the  "National  Monitor,"  of  which 
Mr.  Perry  is  editor,  may  be  termed  an  organ  of  that 
sect.  The  columns  of  the  paper  show  well  the  versa 
tile  character  of  the  gentleman  whose  brain  furnishes 
the  mental  food  for  its  readers,  and  the  cause  of  its 
wide -spread  popularity. 

Mr.  Perry  is  a  self-made  man,  well  educated,  posses 
sing  splendid  natural  abilities,  an  able  and  eloquent 
speaker,  popular  with  other  religious  bodies  as  well  as 
his  own,  and  makes  himself  generally  useful  wherever 
he  may  happen  to  be.  He  is  devotedly  attached  to  his 
race,  and  never  leaves  a  stone  unturned  to  better  their 
moral,  social,  religious,  and  political  condition. 

As  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  his  influence 
is  felt  in  building  up  and  maintaining  the  character  of 
the  colored  people.  Mr.  Perry  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  efficient  of  the  Baptist  clergymen  of  the 
"City -of  Churches." 


534  THE    RISING    SON. 

LEONARD  A.  GRIMES. 

A  NATIVE  of  Loudon  County,  Virginia,  born  in  Lees- 
burg,  in  1815,  of  free  parents,  Leonard  A.  Grimes  was 
subjected  to  all  the  disabilities  that  his  race  had  to 
endure  in  the  South,  except  being  a  bound  slave. 
"While  yet  a  boy,  young  Grimes  went  to  Washington, 
where  he  was  employed  in  a  butcher's  shop,  and  after 
wards  in  an  apothecary's  establishment.  He  subse 
quently  hired  himself  out  to  a  slaveholder,  whose 
confidence  he  soon  gained.  Accompanying  his  em 
ployer  in  some  of  his  travels  in  the  remote  South,  he 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  different  phases  of 
slave  life;  and  its  cruelty  created  in  his  mind  an  early 
hatred  to  the  institution,  which  lasted  him  during  his 
long  and  eventful  career. 

On  his  return  to  Washington,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  began  to  take  an  interest  in  the  underground 
railroad,  and  to  him  many  escaped  slaves  were  in 
debted  for  their  freedom.  A  free  colored  man  with  a 
slave  wife  and  seven  children  appealed  to  Mr.  Grimes 
to  aid  them  to  escape,  for  the  wife  and  children  were 
to  be  carried  to  the  far  South.  Through  the  kindness 
of  this  good  man  the  family  succeeded  in  reaching 
Canada,  where  they  were  free.  Search  was  made  for 
the  family,  suspicion  fell  upon  Grimes  as  the  author 
of  their  escape,  he  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and  sent  to 
the  state  prison  at  Richmond  for  two  years. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  imprisonment,  Mr.  Grimes 
returned  to  Washington,  and  soon  removed  to  New 
Bedford,  Massachusetts,  where  he  resided  two  years, 
and  then  came  to  Boston.  A  small  Baptist  congregation 
was  worshipping  in  a  hall  at  this  time,  and  they  called 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  535 

Mr.  Grimes  to  be  their  pastor.  In  this  new  field  of 
labor  he  soon  began  to  show  the  great  executive  ability 
which  was  to  be  a  blessing  to  his  race  in  Boston.  The 

^y 

Twelfth  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  was  the  head  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  the  congregation,  consisting 
of  some  of  the  better  class  of  the  colored  citizens  of 
the  metropolis,  is  a  monument  that  no  one  need  be 
ashamed  of.  Mr.  Grimes  was  an  ardent  anti-slavery 
man,  when  many  of  his  clerical  brethren  were  on  the 
other  ,«ide  of  the  question. 

Mr.  Grimes  was  a  man  of  great  amiability  of  charac 
ter,  with  always  a  cheering  word  and  a  smile  for  those 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  As  a  preacher,  he 
was  a  man  of  power,  though  he  was  not  an  easy 
speaker.  He  was  a  mulatto  of  fine  appearance,  good 
manners,  dignified,  and  courteous.  No  man  was  more 
beloved  by  his  friends  or  respected  by  the  community. 
At  his  funeral,  which  occurred  in  March,  1873,  more 
than  fifty  carriages  were  among  the  long  cortege  that 
followed  his  remains.  It  is  not  often  that  a  man  leaves 
the  world  with  fewer  enemies  or  more  substantial  friends 
than  Leonard  A.  Grimes. 


JOHN  SELLA  MARTIN. 

JOHN  SELLA  MARTIN  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  North 
Carolina,  and  was  born  at  Charlotte,  in  1832.  He  was 
the  slave  of  his  master,  who  sold  him  while  he  was  yet 
a  child.  Part  of  his  life  was  passed  in  Georgia  and 
Louisiana,  from  the  latter  of  which  States  he  escaped 
in  1856.  Mr.  Martin  resided  some  time  at  Chicago, 


536  THE    RISING   SON. 

studied  for  the  ministry  at  Detroit,  and  was  first  settled 
over  a  church  at  Buffalo.  He  came  to  Boston  in  1859, 
and  was  introduced  to  the  public  at  Tremont  Temple, 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Kalloch,  for  whom  he  preached  several 
weeks,  during  that  gentleman's  vacation.  The  im 
pression  which  Mr.  Martin  made  while  at  the  Temple 
was  very  favorable ;  and  after  supplying  a  pulpit  for 
some  time  at  Lawrence,  he  wras  settled  over  the  Joy 
Street  Baptist  Church  in  Boston.  He  has  since  preached 
in  New  York  and  Washington,  but  is  now  engaged  in 
politics,  having  renounced  the  ministry  three  or  four 
years  since. 

Mr.  Martin  has  visited  England  three  times,  and  is 
well  informed  upon  matters  pertaining  to  that  country, 
as  well  as  this.  He  is  an  easy  speaker,  fluent  and 
ready,  and  gives  the  impression  of  a  man  well  informed 
on  the  subject  upon  which  he  talks.  He  was,  for  a 
time,  editor  of  the  "National  Era,"  and  then  corre 
sponding  editor  of  the  same  paper.  However,  he  lacks 
stability  of  purpose.  In  his  newspaper  articles,  Mr. 
Martin  evinces  considerable  literary  ability.  In  per 
son,  he  is  of  mixed  blood,  gentlemanly  in  his  appear 
ance,  and  refined  in  his  manners. 


"MOSES." 

FOR  eight  or  ten  years  previous  to  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  Rebellion,  all  who  frequented  anti- 
slavery  conventions,  lectures,  picnics,  and  fairs,  could 
not  fail  to  have  seen  a  black  woman  of  medium  size, 
upper  front  teeth  gone,  smiling  countenance,  attired  in 
coarse,  but  neat  apparel,  with  an  old-fashioned  reticule, 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  537 


or  bag,  suspended  by  her  side,  and  who,  on  taking  her 
seat,  would  at  once  drop  off  into  a  sound  sleep. 
This  woman  was  Harriet  Tubman,  better  known  as 
"Moses." 

She  first  came  to  Boston  in  1854,  and  was  soon 
a  welcome  visitor  to  the  homes  of  the  leading  Aboli 
tionists,  who  were  always  attentive  listeners  to  her 
strange  and  eventful  stories.  Her  plantation  life, 
where  she  was  born  a  slave  at  the  South,  was  cruelly 
interesting.  Her  back  und  shoulders,  marked  with  the 
biting  lash,  told  how  inhuman  was  the  institution  from 
which  she  had  fled.  A  blow  upon  the  head  had  caused 
partial  deafness,  and  inflicted  an  injury  which  made 
her  fall  asleep  the  moment  she  was  seated.  Moses  had 
no  education,  yet  the  most  refined  person  would  listen 
for  hours  while  she  related  the  intensely  interesting 
incidents  of  her  life,  told  in  the  simplest  manner,  but 
always  seasoned  with  good  sense. 

During  her  sojourn  in  Boston,  Moses  made  several 
visits  to  the  South,  and  it  was  these  that  gave  her  the 
cognomen  of  "Moses."  Men  from  Canada,  who  had 
made  their  escape  years  before,  and  whose  families 
were  still  in  the  prison-house  of  slavery,  would  seek 
out  Moses,  and  get  her  to  go  and  bring  their  dear  ones 
away.  How  strange!  This  woman,  —  one  of  the  most 
ordinary  looking  of  her  race;  unlettered;  no  idea  of 
geography;  asleep  half  of  the  time,  —  would  penetrate 
the  interior  slave  states,  hide  in  the  woods  during  the 
day,  feed  on  the  bondsman's  homely  fare  at  night, 
bring  off  whole  families  of  slaves,  and  pilot  them  to 
Canada,  after  running  the  gauntlet  of  the  most  difficult 
parts  of  the  Southern  country.  No  fugitive  was  ever 
captured  who  had  Moses  for  a  leader. 


538  THE  RISING    SON. 

While  in  Canada,  in  18 GO,  we  met  several  whom  this 
woman  had  brought  from  the  laud  of  bondage,  and 
they  all  believed  that  she  had  supernatural  power. 
Of  one  man  we  inquired,  "Were  you  not  afraid  of 
being  caught?" 

"O,  no,"  said  he,  "Moses  is  got  de  charm." 

"What  do  you  mean?"    we  asked. 

He  replied,  "De  whites  can't  catch  Moses,  kase 
you  see  she's  born  wid  de  charm.  De  Lord  has  given 
Moses  dc  power." 

Yes,  and  the  woman  herself  felt  that  she  had  the 
charm,  and  this  feeling,  no  doubt,  nerved  her  up,  gave 
her  courage,  and  made  all  who  followed  her  feel  safe 
in  her  hands. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  instinct  called  Moses  into 
active  service,  and  she  at  once  left  for  the  South. 
Long  before  Butler's  "Contraband  of  War"  doctrine 
was  recognized  by  the  government,  Moses  was  hanging 
'  upon  the  outskirts  of  the  Union  army,  and  doing  good 
service  for  those  of  her  race  who  sought  protection  in 
our  lines.  When  the  Negro  put  on  the  "blue,"  Moses 
was  in  her  glory,  and  travelled  from  camp  to  camp, 
being  always  treated  in  the  most  respectful  manner. 
These  black  men  would  have  died  for  this  woman,  for 
they  believed  that  she  had  a  charmed  life. 

It  is  said  that  General  Burnside,  on  one  occasion, 
sent  Moses  into  the  enemy's  camp,  and  that  she  re 
turned  in  due  time,  with  most  valuable  information. 
During  the  last  year  of  the  Rebellion,  she  had  in  her 
possession  a  paper,  the  presentation  of  which  always 
gained  for  her  a  prompt  passage  through  any  part  of 
'  the  Union  lines. 

Moses  followed  Sherman  in  his  march  "From  Atlanta 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  539 

to  the  Sea,"  and  witnessed  the  attack  on  Petersburg. 
The  great  deference  shown  her  by  the  Union  offi 
cers,  who  never  failed  to  tip  their  caps  when  meeting 
her,  and  the  strange  stories  told  of  her  pioneer  adven 
tures,  and  the  substantial  aid  given  by  her  to  her  own 
race,  has  left  with  them  a  lasting  impression  that 
Moses  still  holds  "the  charm." 


MARY  SHADD  CAREY. 

MARY  ANN  SHADD  CAREY  is  a  native  of  Delaware, 
and  has  resided  for  several  years  in  Canada.  She  is 
tall  and  slim,  with  a  fine  head,  which  she  carries  in  a 
peculiar  manner.  She  has  good  features,  intellectual 
countenance,  bright,  sharp  eyes,  that  look  right  through 
you.  She  holds  a  legitimate  place  with  the  strong- 
minded  women  of  the  country. 

Mrs.  Carey  received  a  far  better  education  than  usu 
ally  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  free  colored  people  of  her 
native  State,  and  which  she  greatly  improved.  She 
early  took  a  lively  interest  in  all  measures  tending  to 
the  elevation  of  her  race,  and  has,  at  various  times, 
filled  the  honorable  positions  of  school  teacher,  school 
superintendent,  newspaper  publisher  and  editor,  lec 
turer,  and  travelling  agent.  As  a  speaker,  she  ranks 
deservedly  high;  as  a  debater,  she  is  quick  to  take 
advantage  of  the  weak  points  of  her  opponent,  forcible 
in  her  illustrations,  biting  in  her  sarcasm,  and  wither 
ing  in  her  rebukes. 

Mrs.  Carey  is  resolute  and  determined,  and  you 
might  as  well  attempt  to  remove  a  stone  wall  with 
your  little  finger,  as  to  check  her  in  what  she  con- 


540  THE  RISING  SON. 

ceives  to  be  right  and  her  duty.  Although  she  has 
mingled  much  in  the  society  of  men,  attended  many 
conventions  composed  almost  exclusively  of  males, 
and  trodden  paths  where  women  usually  shrink  to  go, 
no  one  ever  hinted  aught  against  her  reputation,  and 
she  stands  with  a  record  without  blot  or  blemish. 
Had  she  been  a  man,  she  would  probably  have  been 
with  John  Brown  at  Harper's  Ferry. 

When  the  government  determined  to  put  colored 
men  in  the  field  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  Rebellion, 
Mrs.  Carey  raised  recruits  at  the  West,  and  brought 
them  on  to  Boston,  with  as  much  skill,  tact,  and  order 
as  any  of  the  recruiting  officers  under  the  government. 
Her  men  were  always  considered  the  best  lot  brought 
to  head-quarters.  Indeed,  the  examining  surgeon  never 
failed  to  speak  of  Mrs.  Carey's  recruits  as  faultless. 
This  proves  tho  truth  of  the  old  adage,  that  "It  takes 
a  woman  to  pick  out  a  good  man."  Few  persons  have 
done  more  real  service  for  the  moral,  social,  and  politi 
cal  elevation  of  the  colored  race  than  Mrs.  Carey. 
She  is  a  widow,  and  still  in  the  full-orbed  womanhood 
of  life,  working  on,  feeling,  as  she  says,  "It  is  better 
to  wear  out,  than  to  rust  out." 


GEORGE  L.  RUFFIN. 

ONE  of  the  most  damaging  influences  that  the  insti 
tution  of  slavery  had  on  the  colored  population  of  the 
country,  was  to  instill  in  the  mind  of  its  victim  the 
belief  that  he  could  never  rise  above  the  position  of  a 
servant.  The  highest  aspiration  of  most  colored  men, 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.      541 

thirty  years  ago,  was  to  be  a  gentleman's  body  servant, 
a  steward  of  a  steam-boat,  head -waiter  at  a  first-class 
hotel,  a  boss  barber,  or  a  boot-black  with  good  patron 
age,  and  four  or  five  boys  under  him  to  do  the  work. 
Even  at  this  day,  although  slavery  has  been  abolished 
ten  years,  its  spirit  still  clings  to  the  colored  man, 
and,  more  especially,  at  the  North.  To  wait  at  parties, 
attend  weddings  and  dinners,  and  above  all,  to  be  a 
caterer,  seems  to  be  the  highest  aim  of  our  Northern 
"young  men,  when,  to  be  a  good  mechanic,  would  be 
far  more  honorable,  and  have  greater  tendency  towards 
the  elevation  of  the  race.  A  few  exceptions  to  what 
I  have  penned  above  are  to  be  found  occasionally,  and 
one  of  these  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch. 

George  L.  Ruff  in  was  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia, 
of  free  parents,  and  of  course  had  limited  educational 
opportunities.  He  came  to  Boston  some  twenty  years 
ago,  and  followed  the  calling  of  a  hairdresser  up  to 
about  five  years  since,  when  he  began  the  study  of  the 
law  with  Honorable  Harvey  Jewell.  In  due  time,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  is  now  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  good  practice  in  his  profession.  One  of  the  most 
praiseworthy  acts  connected  with  Mr.  Ruffin's  eleva 
tion,  is  that  he  studied  law  while  he  was  at  his  bar 
ber's  chair,  and  dependent  upon  it  for  a  living. 

As  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  Mr. 
Ruffin  exhibited  scholarly  attainments  in  his  speeches 
that  placed  him  at  once  amongst  the  foremost  men  of 
that  body.  As  a  speaker,  he  is  interesting,  for  his  ad 
dresses  show  that  he  gives  his  subjects  a  thorough  can 
vassing  before  he  delivers  them.  Mr.  Ruffin  is  a  good 


542  THE   RISING   SON. 

student,  and  is  destined,  we  think,  to  rise  still  higher 
in  his  profession. 

He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  elevation  and  welfare 
of  his  race,  is  prominent  in  all  public  meetings,  has  a 
happy  faculty  in  discharging  the  duties  of  presiding 
officer,  or  chairman  of  a  committee,  and  writes  resolu 
tions  that  are  readable,  as  well  as  to  the  purpose  for 
which  they  are  intended.  Mr.  Ruff  in  is  highly  re 
spected  in  the  community,  and  has  done  much  in  his 
dealings  with  prominent  citizens  to  lift  upward  the 
standard  of  the  colored  man.  He  is  of  mixed  blood, 
short,  stout,  with  a  rather  pleasing  cast  of  counte 
nance,  and  features  good  to  look  upon.  In  speaking 
to  our  young  men,  we  have  often  mentioned  the  career 
of  Mr.  Ruff  in  as  worthy  of  imitation. 


RICHARD  T.  GREENER. 

RICHARD  T.  GREENER  is  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Uni 
versity,  which,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  is  con 
sidered  a  passport  to  future  usefulness  and  preferment. 
Soon  after  leaving  college,  he  was  invited  to  become  a 
teacher  in  the  institute  for  colored  youth,  at  Philadel 
phia.  Here  his  labors  were  highly  appreciated,  and 
many  regrets  were  manifested  on  his  leaving  to  take1 
charge  of  another  institution  of  learning  at  Washington, 
where  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Greener  takes  a  deep  interest  in  everything 
tending  towards  the  development  of  the  genius  of  the 
race,  and  has  written  some  very  readable  articles  on 
education  for  the  "New  National  Era."  His  writings 


REPRESENTATIVE  MEN  AND  WOMEN.  543 

exhibit  considerable  research,  a  mind  well  stored  from 
English  literature,  and  show  that  he  is  a  man  of 
industry  and  progress.  Long  before  leaving  college, 
Mr.  Greener  gave  evidence  of  possessing  talents  for 
the  platform,  and  recent  speeches  and  addresses  place 
him  in  the  advanced  ground  in  the  art  of  oratory. 

Mr.  Greener  is  a  mulatto,  and,  in  personal  appear 
ance,  is  of  medium  size,  good  figure,  well-balanced 
head,  intellectual  face,  interesting  conversationalist, 
and  eager  for  distinction.  Mr.  Greener  is  not  more 
than  twenty-eight  or  thirty  years  of  age,  and  has  before 
him  a  brilliant  future.  He  is  a  good  representative  of 
our  rising  young  men,  and  is  well  calculated  to  inspire 
the  youth  of  the  country  with  noble  feelings  for  self- 
elevation.  His  motto  is  ''the  young  men  to  the 
front. "  But  he  should  remember  that  while  the  young 
men  may  take  a  legitimate  place  at  the  front,  the  old 
men  must  not  be  asked  to  take  a  back  seat.  The  race 
cannot  afford,  yet  a  while,  to  dispense  with  the  services 
of  the  "Old  Guard." 


LEWIS  II.  DOUGLASS. 

THE  senior  editor  of  the  "New  National  Era"  is  the 
eldest  son  of  Frederick  Douglass,  and  inherits  a  large 
share  of  the  father's  abilities.  He  was  born  in  Massa 
chusetts,  has  a  liberal  education,  is  a  practical  prin 
ter,  received  excellent  training  in  the  office  of  "The 
North  Star,"  at  Rochester,  New  York,  and  is  well 
calculated  to  conduct  a  newspaper.  Mr.  Douglass 
distinguished  himself  at  the  attack  on  Fort  Wagner, 


544  THE   RISING   SOX. 

\vhere  the  lamented  Colonel  Robert  G.  Shaw  fell.  His 
being  the  first  to  ascend  the  defences  surrounding  the 
fort,  and  his  exclamation  of  "Coine,  boys,  we'll  fight 
for  God  and  Governor  Andrew,"  was  at  the  time  com 
mented  upon  by  the  press  of  Europe  as  well  as  of  our 
own  country. 

Mr.  Douglass  is  an  active,  energetic  man,  deeply 
alive  to  every  interest  of  his  race,  uncompromising  in 
his  adherence  to  principle,  and  is  a  valuable  citizen  in 
any  community.  He  has  held  several  important  posi 
tions  in  Washington,  where  his  influence  is  great. 
He  is  a  good  writer,  well  informed,  and  interesting  in 
conversation.  In  asserting  his  rights  against  the  pre 
scriptive  combinations  of  the  printers  of  Washington, 
Mr.  Douglass  was  more  than  a  match  for  his  would-be 
superiors.  As  a  citizen,  he  is  highly  respected,  and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  district.  He 
is  of  medium  size,  a  little  darker  in  complexion  than 
the  father,  has  a  manly  walk,  gentlemanly  in  his  man 
ners,  intellectual  countenance,  and  reliable  in  his  busi 
ness  dealings.  His  paper,  the  "New  National  Era," 
is  well  conducted,  and  should  receive  the  patronage  of 
our  people  throughout  the  country. 

V 


RICHARD  H.  CAIN. 

MR.  CAIN  is  well  known  as  a  Methodist  preacher  of 
some  note,  having  been  a  leading  man  in  that  denomi 
nation  for  many  years.  During  the  Rebellion  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  South  Carolina,  where  his  good 
judgment,  industry,  and  executive  ability  gave  him 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN  AXJ>  WOMEN.  545 

considerable  influence  with  liis  race.  In  the  Consti 
tutional  and  Reconstruction  Conventions  Mr.  Cain 
took  an  active  part,  and  in  the  State  Legislature,  gave 
unmistakable  evidence  of  a  knowledge  of  state  affairs. 
He  has  been  called  to  fill  several  positions  of  honor 
and  trust,  and  discharged  his  duties  with  signal  ability. 

The  moral,  social,  religious,  and  political  elevation 
of  his  people  has  long  claimed  a  large  share  of  Mr. 
Cain's  time  and  attention. 

As  an  editor,  he  exhibited  much  literary  tact  and 
talent  in  conducting  his  paper,  urging  in  its  columns 
education,  character,  and  wealth,  as  a  basis  for  man's 
elevation.  In  1872,  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  rep 
resenting  the  city  of  Charleston.  As  a  politician,  Mr. 
Cain  stands  high  in  his  State,  being  considered  one  of 
their  ablest  stump-speakers,  and  stump-speaking  is  re 
garded  at  the  South  as  the  best  quality  of  an  orator. 
Mr.  Cain  is  nearly  pure  in  blood,  rather  under  the 
medium  size,  bright  eye,  intelligent  countenance, 
strong,  loud  voice,  energetic  in  his  actions,  throwing 
some  dramatic  fervor51  into  his  elocutionary  powers, 
and  may  be  termed  an  enthusiastic  speaker.  Gentle 
manly  in  his  manners,  blameless  in  his  family  rela 
tions,  staunch  in  his  friendship,  honest  in  his  dealings 
with  his  fellow-men,  Mr.  Cain  may  be  regarded  as  a 
representative  man,  and  an  able  one,  too. 


STEPHEN  SMITH. 

IN  no  state  in  the  Union  have  the  colored  people 
had  greater  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of  their  moral, 
35 


546  THE   RISING   SON. 

social,  and  political  elevation,  than  in  Pennsylvania. 
Surrounded  by  a  population  made  up  of  the  odd  ends 
of  all  countries,  the  German  element  predominating, 
with  a  large  sprinkling  of  poor  whites  from  the 
Southern  States,  holding  prejudice  against  the  race, 
the  blacks  of  Pennsylvania  have  had  a  hard  struggle. 
Fortunately,  however,  for  them,  there  were  scattered 
over  the  State  a  few  representative  men,  who,  by  their 
industry,  honesty,  and  moral  courage  did  much  to 
raise  the  character  and  standard  of  the  colored  man. 

Foremost  among  these  was  Stephen  Smith,  who, 
while  a  young  man  began  life  as  a  lumberman  in 
Columbia,  where,  for  twenty-five  years,  he  was  one  of 
the  principal  dealers  in  that  business.  By  upright 
and  patient  labor,  Mr.  Smith  amassed  a  fortune,  re 
moved  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  and  wrhere  he  has  long  been  one  of  the  pillars 
of  society. 

For  many  years,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been 
an  acceptable  preacher  in  the  Methodist  denomination, 
to  which  sect  he  has  given  liberally  of  his  vast 
means.  Several  years  ago,  Mr.  Smith  built  a  church 
at  his  own  expense,  and  gave  it  to  his  people.  More 
recently,  he  has  erected  and  endowed  an  asylum  for 
the  poor  of  his  race. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  mulatto,  of  medium  size,  strongly 
built,  fascinating  countenance,  yet  plain  looking,  with 
indelibly  marked  features.  He  is  now  in  the  sunset 
of  life,  and  his  head  is  thickly  sprinkled  with  gray 
hairs.  Although  he  is  in  the  autumn  of  his  years, 
he  is  still  vigorous,  attending  to  his  own  business, 
preaching  occasionally,  and  looking  after  the  interest 
of  "our  people." 


REPRESENTATIVE    HEX   AND   WOMEN.  547 

Always  interested  in  the  elevation  of  man,  few  have 
done  more  for  his  race  than  Stephen  Smith.  lie  is 
highly  respected,  and  has  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
people  of  his  own  city,  as  well  as  all  who  enjoy  his 
acquaintance. 


LEWIS  EIAYDEN. 

THIRTY  years  ago,  the  underground  railroad  was  in 
full  operation,  and  many  daring  attempts  were  made 
by  Northern  men  to  aid  slaves  in  their  escape  to  a 
land  of  freedom.  In  some  instances,  both  the  fujri- 

7  o 

tives  and  their  friends  were  captured,  taken  back, 
tortured,  and  imprisoned.  The  death  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  T.  Torrey,  in  the  Maryland  Penitentiary,  for 
helping  away  a  family  of  slaves;  the  branding  of 
Jonathan  Walker  for  the  same  offence ;  the  capture  of 
Captain  Daniel  Dray  ton  for  bringing  off  a  number  of 
bondmen  in  his  vessel,  the  "Pearl;**  and  the  Jong  and 
cruel  imprisonment  of  the  Rev.  Calvin  Fairbanks,  are 
historical  facts  well  known  to  the  old  Abolitionists. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  where  he  spent  his  early  days  in  slavery. 
Lewis  Hayden  and  his  family  made  their  escape  from, 
the  State  of  Kentucky  in  the  year  1846,  by  the  assist 
ance  of  the  Rev.  Calvin  Fairbanks  and  Miss  Delia  A. 
Webster.  Both  of  the  above  persons  suffered  cruelly, 
for  their  kindness  to  the  fugitives.  Miss  Webster, 
after  several  months'  imprisonment,  was  liberated,  but 
Mr.  Fairbanks  remained  in  the  State  Prison  at  Frank 
fort,  Kentucky,  more  than  ten  years,  during  which 
time  everything  was  done  by  officials  of  the  prison  to 
make  his  confinement  as  painful  as  possible. 


548  THE   RISING  SON. 

9 

To  the  great  credit  of  Mr.  Hayden,  he  labored 
faithfully  to  secure  the  release  of  his  friend,  and  was, 
we  believe,  the  means  of  shortening  his  sufferings. 

With  his  family,  Mr.  Hayden  took  up  his  residence 
in  Boston,  where  he  has  since  remained,  and  where 
he  now  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 

During  the  reign  of  terror,  caused  by  the  attempt 
to  enforce  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  in  the  return  of 
escaped  bondmen,  Mr.  Hayden  became  conspicuous  as 
one  of  the  most  faithful  friends  of  his  race,  daring 
everything  for  freedom,  never  shrinking  from  any 
duty,  and  never  counting  the  cost. 

For  the  past  dozen  years,  he  has  held  a  situation  at 
the  State  House,  and,  last  winter,  served  in  the  Legis 
lature,  where  his  speeches  and  his  votes  were  given 
for  reform. 

While  he  does  not  attempt  to  be  an  orator,  Mr. 
Hayden  is,  nevertheless,  a  very  effective  speaker.  He 
is  a  man  of  common  size,  with  little  or  no  Anglo- 
Saxon  blood,  genteel  in  his  manners,  intelligent  in 
conversation,  and  correct  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 


HENRY  GARLAND  MURRAY. 

To  be  able  to  tell  a  story,  and  tell  it  well,  is  a  gift, 
arid  not  an  acquirement;  a  gift  that  one  may  well  be 
proud  of.  The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
left  his  sunny  home  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  last 
autumn,  and  paid  a  flying  visit  to  our  country.  We  had 
heard  of  Mr.  Murray  as  the  able  editor  of  the  leading 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  549 

newspaper  in  Kingston,  and,  therefore,  he  was  not  an 
entire  stranger  to  us. 

But  his  great  powers  as  a  lecturer,  we  wefc  ignorant 
of.  With  a  number  of  friends,  we  went  one  evening 
to  listen  10  a  lecture  on  "Life  among  the  Lowly  in 
Jamaica."  The  speaker  for  the  occasion  was  Henry 
G.  Murray,  who  soon  began  his  subject.  He  was  a 
man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  a  little  inclined  to 
corpulency,  large,  electric  eyes,  smiling  countenance 
beaming  with  intelligence,  and  wearing  the  air  of  a 
well-bred  gentleman. 

He  commenced  in  a  calm,  cool,  moderate  manner, 
and  did  not  depart  from  it  during  the  evening.  Mr. 
Murray's  style  is  true  to  nature,  and  the  stories  which 
he  gave  with  matchless  skill,  convulsed  every  one  with 
laughter.  lie  evinced  talent  for  both  tragic  and  comic 
representation,  rarely  combined.  His  ludicrous  sto 
ries,  graphically  told,  kept  every  face  on  a  grin  from 
the  commencement  to  the  end.  For  pathos,  genius, 
inimitable  humor,  and  pungent  wit,  we  have  never  seen' 
his  equal.  He  possesses  the  true  vivida  vis  of  elo 
quence.  Mr.  Murray  is  a  man  of  learning,  accom 
plishment,  and  taste,  and  will  be  warmly  weclomed 
whenever  he  visits  us  again. 


SAMPSON  DUNBAR  TALBOT. 

BISHOP  TALBOT  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Stoughton.  He  received  a  good, 
common-school  education  at  West  Bridge  water,  went 
to  the  West,  and  studied  theology,  and  began  to  preach, 


550  THE  RISING   SON. 

at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.  Returning  East,  he 
preached  in  Boston  for  two  years,  where  he  made  many 
friends.  He  was  ordained  a  bishop  of  the  A.  M.  E. 
Zion  Church,  about  nine  years  ago,  and  now  resides  in 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Bishop  Talbot  is  about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  of 
common  size  and  stature,  a  dark  mulatto,  fine  head, 
and  thoughtful  face,  with  but  little  of  the  negro  cast 
of  countenance.  He  is  a  good  student,  well  read,  and 
better  informed  than  the  clergy  generally. 

As  a  speaker,  he  is  sound,  clear,  thorough,  and 
though  not  brilliant,  is  a  very  interesting  preacher. 
His  dignified,  calm  utterance  has  great  power.  He  is 
much  admired  in  the  pulpit,  and  never  lacks  hearers. 

The  absence  of  fire  and  brimstone  in  his  sermons 
gives  the  bishop  a  gentlemanly  air  in  the  pulpit  that 
strongly  contrasts  with  his  brethren  of  the  cloth.  He 
is  a  good  presiding  officer,  and  rules'  according  to 
Cushinsr.  Living  a  blameless  life,  having  an  miblern- 

o  o  o 

ished  reputation,  and  taking  a  deep  interest  in  every 
thing  pertaining  to  the  moral,  social,  and  political 
condition  of  the  race,  Bishop  Talbot  is  highly  respected 
by  all. 


CHARLES  BURLEIGH  PURVIS,  M.  D. 

DR.  PURVIS  is  a  son  of  Robert  Purvis,  the  well- 
known  philanthropist,  and  co-worker  with  William 
Lloyd  Garrison,  Wendell  Phillips,  and  Lucretia  Mott. 
When  a  boy,  "Burleigh"  often  met  us  at  the  steamer 
or  the  cars,  a  number  of  miles  away,  took  us  to  the 
homestead  at  Bybery,  listened  to  our  lecture  in  the 


REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   WOMEN.  551 

"old  hall,"  and  then  returned  us  to  the  train  or  boat 
the  next  morning,  and  always  did  it  cheerfully,  and 
with  a  smile. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
in  1841,  received  a  collegiate  education,  graduating 
A.  M. ;  studied  at  the  Cleveland  Medical  College, 
where,  in  1864,  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He 
entered  the  army  as  acting-assistant  surgeon  during  the 
summer  of  the  same  year. 

Dr.  Purvis  now  resides  at  Washington,  and  holds 
the  honorable  position  of  Professor  of  Materia  Medico, 
and  Jurisprudence  in  Howard  University.  The  doctor 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  education  and  elevation 
of  his  race,  and  exercises  considerable  influence  in  the 
affairs  of  the  District. 

He  inherits  much  of  his  father's  enthusiasm  and  ora 
torical  powers,  and  has  spoken  eloquently  and  success 
fully  in  public  meetings  and  conventions. 

By  close  attention  to  his  profession,  Dr.  Purvis  has 
taken  a  high  rank  as  a  physician.  In  complexion,  he 
stands  about  half-way  between  the  Anglo-Saxon  and 
the  negro,  probably  throwing  in  a  little  mite  of  In 
dian.  Like  his  father,  the  doctor  is  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  dignified  and  gentlemanly  in  his  manners, 
and  respected  by  every  one. 


JOHN  J.  FREEMAN. 

THAT  spicy  and  spirited  weekly,  "The  Progressive 
American,"  is  edited  by  the  gentleman  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch.  By  his  native  genius,  untiring  in- 


552  THE   RISING   SON. 

\ 

dustry,  and  scholarly  attainments,  he  has  created  and 
kept  alive  a  newspaper  that  is  a  welcome  guest  in  New 
York,  and  the  country  around.  As  an  editor,  Mr. 
Freeman  has  been  eminently  successful,  and  his  journal 
now  ranks  amongst  the  very  best  of  our  papers.  His 
editorials  exhibit  more  than  ordinary  tact  and  talent, 
and  are  always  on. the  side  of  right,  morality,  and  the 
elevation  of  man.  He  has  long  taken  a  leading  part 
in  state  affairs,  and  has  held  prominent  places  in  con 
ventions  and  public  meetings. 

As  a  speaker,  he  is  interesting,  and  knows  what  he 
talks  about. 

His  speeches  consist  of  strong  arguments  and  spir 
ited  appeals.  Personally,  Mr.  Freeman  is  sociable 
and  affable  in  his  manners,  and  hearty  and  pleasant  in 
his  address.  In  complexion,  he  is  of  a  brown  skin, 
with  well-defined  features,  intellectual  forehead,  slim 
and  straight,  with  a  walk  something  akin  to  the  In 
dian.  He  is  gentlemanly,  upright,  and  correct  in  his 
intercourse  with  mankind,  and  highly  respected  as  a 
man  of  advanced  ideas. 


ELIJAH  W.  SMITH. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  grandson  of  the  late 
Rev.  Thomas  Paul,  whose  eloquence  as  a  preacher  is 
vividly  remembered  by  Bostonians  of  forty  years  ago, 
as  one  of  the  most  entertaining  of  divines.  Born  in 

Boston,  Elijah  W.  Smith  is  well  known  as  one  of  her 
i/ 

most   respected   citizens.     He  is   by  trade  a  printer, 
which  he  learned   in  the  office   of  "The  Liberator," 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN   AND   WOMEN.  553 

with  Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison,  who  always  speaks  of 
"Elijah"  with  the  utmost  respect.  No  one  can  read 
Mr.  Smith's  poems  without  a  regret  that  he  has  written 
so  little,  and  yet  he  has  given  us  more  poetry  than 
any  other  colored  American.  Few  living  poets  under 
stand,  better  than  he,  the  elements  of  true  poetry. 

The  evenness  of  his  numbers,  the  polish  of  his  diction, 
the  rich  melody  of  his  musically-embodied  thoughts, 
and  the  variety  of  his  information,  show  that  Nature 
has  not  been  sparing  in  showering  her  gifts  upon 
him. 

In  his  poetry  Mr.  Smith  seeks  to  make  mankind, 
and  things  around  him,  in  harmony  with  a  better  state 
of  moral  existence. 

His  contributions  to  literature  will  ever  tend  to 
delight  and  instruct  the  lovers  of  liberty  and  pure  and 
refined  society.  Most  of  his  articles  have  appeared  in 
"The  Boston  Daily  Traveller,"  and  "The  Saturday 
Evening  Express."  The  longest  poem  contains  thirty 
verses. 

"Keep  off  the  Grass,"  and  "Welcome  to  Spring," 
shows  the  author's  leaning  to  wards  Nature.  "Crushed 
At  Sedan,"  "  Vive  La  France,"  and  "  A  Plea  for  the  Kec- 
ognition  of  Cuba,"  are  the  promptings  of  a  sympathetic 
heart.  "  Peter  and  Joseph's  Trip  to  Vermont  "  is  full 
of  humor,  and  shows  that  our  author  is  at  home  in 
comic  poetry.  Mr.  Smith's  finer  feelings  find  vent  in 
those  beautiful  poems  the  "  Winter  Song  of  the  Poor,'' 
and  "Merry  Christmas,"  either  of  which  is  enough  to 
give  a  writer  everlasting  fame. 

The  Republican  Party  owes  our  author  a  debt  of 
gratitude  for  the  lyrics  he  has  contributed  to  its  aid  in 


554  THE    EISING   SON. 

this  section.  The  following  lines  are  from  the  beautiful 
and  soul-stirring  poem  entitled  "Freedom's  Jubilee," 
read  at  a  Katification  Meeting  of  the  Fifteenth  Amend 
ment  : 

"  Glory  to  God  !  for  the  struggle  is  ended, 

Glory  to  God  !  for  the  victory  won, 
Honor  to  those  who  the  Right  have  defended, 
Through  the  long  years  since  the  conflict  begun. 

"  O,  may  the  prayers  of  those  ready  to  perish 

Guard  them  from  harm  like  a  girdle  of  lire  ! 
Deep  in  our  hearts  their  good  deeds  we  will  cherish, 
And  to  deserve  them  we'll  ever  aspire. 

"  God  !  at  Thine  altar  in  thanksgiving  bending, 

Grant  that  our  eyes  Thy  great  goodness  may  see  ; 
O,  may  Thy  light,  while  the  temple's  veil  rending, 
Show,  through  its  portals,  the  path  of  the  Free." 

"  Our  Lost  Leader,"  written  on  the  death  of  Charles 
Sumner,  is  one  of  Mr.  Smith's  best  productions.  "  The 
Boston  Daily  Traveller "  says :  :t  This  is  a  beautiful 
poem  written  by  Elijah  TV".  Smith,  who  is  a  true  poet, 
and  who  has  produced  some  of  the  best  poetry  called 
forth  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Sumner." 

We  can  only  give  the  last  verse  : 

"  Give  us  the  faith  to  kneel  around 

Our  Country's  shrine,  and  swear 
To  keep  alive  the  sacred  flame 
That  SUMNER  kindled  there  ! " 

The  "  Song  of  The  Liberators  "  has  in  it  the  snap 
and  fire  that  shows  the  author's  sound  appreciation  of 
the  workers  for  liberty.  W^  give  a  few  of  those 
spirited  verses,  and  regret  that  want  of  space  prevents 
our  placing  the  entire  poem  before  the  reader  : 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN    AND    WOMEN.  555 

"  The  battle-cry  is  sounding 

From  every  hill  and  vale, 
From  rock  to  rock  resounding, 

Now  shall  the  tyrants  quail. 
No  more  with  chain  and  fetter, 

No  more  with  prison  cell, 
Shall  despots  punish  heroes 

In  the  land  they  love  so  well. 

"  And  thou,  O  Isle  of  Beauty, 
Thy  plaintive  cry  is  heard  ; 
Throughout  our  wide  dominions, 

The  souls  of  men  are  stirred  ; 
And  rising  in  their  manhood, 
They  shout  from  sea  to  sea, 
'  Destruction  to  the  tyrants  ! 
Fair  Cuba  shall  be  free  ! ' " 

In  person  Mr.  Smith  is  short,  and  inclined  to  be 
stout,  with  complexion  of  a  light  brown. 

His  head  is  large  and  well  developed  ;  the  expression 
of  his  features  are  mild  and  good,  his  eyes  are  lively, 
and  the  urn  of  his  face  is  graceful  and  full  of 
sensibility,  and  delicately  susceptible  of  every  impres 
sion. 

Still  on  the  sunny  side  of  fifty,  and  being  of  studious 
habits  and  an  impassioned  lover  of  Nature,  we  may 
yet  look  for  valuable  contributions  from  his  versatile 
pen. 

We  hope,  ere  long,  to  see  his  poems  given  to  the 
reading  public  in  a  collected  form,  for  we  are  sure 
that  they  would  be  a  prized  accession  to  the  current 
literature  of  the  day,  besides  the  valuable  work  they 
would  do  for  the  elevation  of  his  own  race. 

Mr.  Smith  has  written  more  than  sixty  poems,  one 
of  which  will  be  found  in  the  fore-part  of  this  volume. 


:,-,  •:, 

i 


r 


